New Delhi: Germany's Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze arrived in India on Friday and will attend the G20 Development Ministers Meeting scheduled in Varanasi from June 11-13.

German Ambassador to India Philip Ackermann on Friday tweeted: "The warmest welcome to India, @Svenjaschulze68! Our Minister for Economic Coop. & Development is with us in Delhi, marvelling at Indian cultural heritage at Arts & Crafts Museum. Germany and India share a strong Green & Sustainable Development Partnership! Next stop - Varanasi for @g20org."

Schulze will during her India visit consolidate cooperation with the country aimed at dealing with global tasks. Prior to the meeting of the G20 development ministers in Varanasi on June 11-12, the minister will have political talks in the Delhi area on June 9-10 and will visit development projects, according to a release issued by Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The focus will be on global food security, the energy transition, efforts to clean up rivers and oceans, providing a clean water supply and waste management. This is not just a matter of sustainable development for India. It is above all a question of working with India in order to make progress at the global level.

Prior to her India visit, Schulze said: "With India as G20 chair, we have here a strong partner that we can work with in order to drive forward sustainable development. The G20 is the crucial body for this because it brings together the biggest economies and is a bridge to developing countries. However, developing countries often do not have strong enough representation in international bodies. I am convinced that the decisions made by the G20 will become better and fairer if the African Union has a seat at the table with equal standing. Germany will certainly be calling for the AU to be included."

Germany's Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development is working with India in areas that are necessary for a just and liveable world to be possible in the future: renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and climate resilience, sustainable urbanisation, feminist development policy and social protection. The annual amount of support going to India for this cooperation is about one billion euros and since the country's economy is quite strong this support mainly takes the form of reduced-interest loans, according to the release issued by Germany's Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

India is Germany's crucial partner in efforts to make the global agricultural and food sector sustainable. Besides cooperating on projects in India itself, Germany and India are also making this agroecological expertise available to other developing countries. This kind of joint triangular cooperation in the area of agroecology is currently being planned with some countries in Africa.

Other topics that Minister Schulze will address during her visit to India on Friday and Saturday are the energy transition and sustainable urban development, and also efforts to clean up rivers and oceans.

On Sunday and Monday, at the meeting of the G20 development ministers, the topics will include preparations for the heads of state and heads of government summit in September, which is meant to have a strong development policy focus (Green Development Pact).

Development Minister Schulze wants to lobby here for gender equality in line with her feminist development policy: because equal rights for girls and women in all their diversity are more than just a question of fairness; they also lead to better development worldwide. They can help make a better job of achieving several of the globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals.

A second important priority for Minister Schulze is driving forward the reform of the World Bank, with a view to mobilising more money for climate action and other global tasks. Support from the world's emerging economies is also a key factor. As G20 chair, India has a key role to play here, as per the official release.