India's leadership needed to keep G-20 together, quicken SDG agenda: UN official

Affirming support for India's G-20 presidency, UN's deputy secretary general Amina J Mohammed on Tuesday said the country's leadership can help keep the grouping together and speed up work on green goals.

Delivering a video message at the G-20 development group meet here, Mohammed welcomed that three developing countries – India, Brazil and South Africa - are presiding over the grouping in three consecutive terms, and affirmed the UN's support.

''We need India's leadership in this pivotal historic moment to keep the G-20 together and fulfill its promise of delivering a stable and equal world for all," Mohammed said.

''We are midway through the sustainable development goals (SDG) target for 2030 and there is a need for doubling down on efforts to put the ambitious back on track".

This can be done by arranging sustainable finance solutions, she said, hoping that India's G-20 presidency will find right solutions for the same.

''The time has come to infuse new energies into green development. The UN stands ready to support India's G-20 presidency to this end and through this, see the G-20's collective actions on sustainable development rise to new heights," she said.

Speaking at the event, India's G-20 sherpa Amitabh Kant said the meeting is happening in a time of "global tumult", amid economic recession, and crisis in global debt and global finance.

''India is a bright spot in this gloomy scenario and we will provide action oriented solutions as part of the G20 presidency," he said, delivering a talk earlier in the day at a session on 'data for development' organized in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation.