Context: Recently, Saudi Arabia hosted the G-20 foreign ministers meeting with focus on cross-border movement amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

• Currently, Saudi Arabia holds the presidency of G-20. It is the first Arab nation to take over the G20 Presidency.

Key outcomes of the Meeting

• The foreign ministers acknowledged the importance of opening borders, and promoting measures to allow the economy to thrive in light of the protective measures for the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Many health safety protocols were brought in to minimize the risk of spread of the Covid-19, like closed borders.
• However, they have now become a huge obstacle in running trade and businesses worldwide resulting in a crisis of life and livelihood for many.
• India apprised the G-20 foreign ministers about steps taken by India including Vande Bharat Mission and creation of travel bubbles for the welfare and protection of foreign citizens stranded in India as well as its own citizens abroad.

Recent Initiatives Taken by G-20

• Earlier, in the 3rd G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting held in july 2020, G-20 came up with the G20 Action Plan to deal with the pandemic.
• The Action Plan includes a list of collective commitments under the pillars of Health Response, Economic Response, Strong and Sustainable Recovery and International Financial Coordination.
• The G-20 also organised a virtual meeting of G-20 Digital Economy Ministers to highlight the digital initiatives taken by the countries to deal with Covid-19.

India’s Proposal
Development of voluntary ‘G-20 Principles on Coordinated Cross-Border Movement of People’ with three elements:

• Standardisation of testing procedures and universal acceptability of test results.
• Standardisation of Quarantine procedures.
• Standardisation of ‘movement and transit’ protocols.

Governments around the world need to ensure that interests of foreign students are protected and movement of stranded seafarers back to their home country is facilitated.

• The education institutes around the globe have been shut for months due to pandemic. With borders closed now, foreign students who had returned to their home countries are now finding it difficult to rejoin their respective institutions.

About G-20

• The G20 is an informal group of 19 countries and the European Union, with representatives of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
• The G20 membership comprises a mix of the world’s largest advanced and emerging economies, representing about two-thirds of the world’s population, 85% of global gross domestic product, 80% of global investment and over 75% of global trade.
• The members of the G20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.
• It does not have any permanent secretariat or headquarters.