Mysore: Former Prime Minister of Tunisia, Mehdi Jomaa on Tuesday said the African Union's permanent membership in the G20 is a positive development that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has advocated.

“The permanent membership of the African Union in the G20 is a very positive development that Prime Minister Modi has advocated for,” the former Tunisian Prime Minister said while speaking on Day 2 of the Think20 (T20) Summit in Mysuru on Tuesday.

“Africa,” he continued, "is well positioned to become an emerging multi-sector corridor which fosters innovation, development and multilateralism.”

The T20 is an official Engagement Group of the G20, and serves as an “ideas bank” for the G20 by bringing together think tanks and high-level experts to deliberate on relevant policy issues. Observer Research Foundation (ORF) is serving as the T20 Secretariat during India’s Presidency of the G20.

Jomaa further said that the G20 presents a unique opportunity to ensure a common prosperous future for all.

Meanwhile, Policy Advisor of the a2i Programme, ICT Division and the Cabinet Division of the Government of Bangladesh, Anir Chowdhury, while speaking on Bangladesh’s efforts at innovating technology and data for development, said that while Bangladesh started the data journey late, it picked up pace during COVID-19 for symptom mapping and providing better access to vaccines.

“Companies now have task forces on Al to contend with the multifarious challenges that the ubiquitous technology brings,” noted Mahima Kaul, Head of Public Policy, APAC, Bumble.

Founder and CEO, Girlhype Women Who Code, South Africa, Baratang Miya, while speaking on day 2 of the T20 Summit, said that the verification of content online will become an important question that will require answers as Al becomes more accessible.

“Who is going to lead the technology conversation - private companies, public enterprises, or academia and civil society? We need a confluence of all of them,” averred Erin Watson, Founder and Managing Director, Baker & York, Australia.

Sharad Sharma, Co-Founder, iSPIRT Foundation, noted: “Techno-legal regulation is our true test of democracy in the emerging tech times marked by disruptive forces like AI.”

In the session on Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) and shaping a new paradigm for sustainable development, Eenam Gambhir, Joint Secretary (G20), Ministry of External Affairs, pointed out India’s efforts at putting development at the heart of all G20 processes.

“Even if we sit at the same table, we have differentiated responsibilities due to differentiated vulnerabilities,” noted Gladys Lechini, Professor, International Relations, National University of Rosario, Argentina.

Sachin Chaturvedi, Member, T20 India Core Group and Director General, Research and Information System for Developing Countries, India, said, “New technologies and sustainable production are critical to enable a Lifestyle for Environment.”

“India has been able to lower emissions only because of the lifestyle choices we have been able to make,” he continued.

Over 200 participants from 35 countries and nearly 110 institutions are being hosted at the T20 Summit. The delegates include ministers, diplomats, policy planners, heads of think tanks and research institutions, civil society organisations, and eminent thinkers whose collective agency will ensure rich and diverse discussions at the Summit.

The T20 Summit is hosted by the Observer Research Foundation under the aegis of India’s G20 Presidency.