In News:

The 20th G20 Summit (2025) concluded in Johannesburg, South Africa, marking the first G20 Leaders’ Summit hosted on African soil. Despite a U.S. boycott, members adopted the Johannesburg Leaders’ Declaration, foregrounding Global South priorities under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.”

What is the G20?

• Nature: Premier forum for international economic cooperation.
• Members: 19 countries + European Union and African Union.
• Share: ~85% of global GDP, 75%+ of world trade, ~two-thirds of global population.
• Evolution:
  • 1999: Formed after the Asian Financial Crisis (FM & CB Governors).
  • 2008–09: Elevated to Leaders’ level post Global Financial Crisis.
• Structure: No permanent secretariat; rotating presidency with a Troika (past–present–incoming).

Johannesburg Leaders’ Declaration

• Multilateralism & Ubuntu: Emphasised the African philosophy of Ubuntu (“I am because you are”)—shared responsibility and interconnectedness.
• Climate Action: Scale climate finance (“billions to trillions”), prioritise adaptation, renewables, and just transitions under the Paris Agreement.
• Debt & Finance Reform: Launched a Cost of Capital Commission to reduce unfair risk premiums; spotlight on Africa’s ~USD 1.8 trillion debt burden.
• UNSC Reform: Support for expanding representation for Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.
• Terrorism: Unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all forms.
• Gender & Youth:
  • 25% gender parity in labour force participation by 2030.
  • Nelson Mandela Bay Target: Reduce NEET rate by 5% by 2030.
• Energy Access: Mission 300-electricity for 300 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030.
• Critical Minerals: Welcomed a G20 framework for sustainable value chains and local beneficiation.

Key Outcomes & Initiatives

• Declaration Adopted despite U.S. boycott-underscored resilience of multilateral consensus.
• ACITI Partnership: Australia–Canada–India cooperation on critical technologies, AI, supply chains, clean energy.
• Developing Countries’ Focus: Debt restructuring, affordable finance, resilience for vulnerable economies.

India’s Role & Proposals

• Growth Vision: Human-centric, equitable, sustainable development (Integral Humanism).
• Global South Push:
  • Africa Skills Multiplier: Train 1 million certified trainers over 10 years.
  • Global Traditional Knowledge Repository.
  • Open Satellite Data Partnership (agriculture, fisheries, disasters).
• Security: G20 Drug–Terror Nexus Initiative (incl. synthetic drugs like fentanyl).
• Critical Minerals: Circularity Initiative (recycling, urban mining).
• AI Governance: Global compact-human oversight, safety-by-design, transparency; invited to AI Impact Summit 2026 (India).

Troika (2025–26)

• Past: Brazil | Current: South Africa | Incoming: United States

In News:

Chile has reclassified the Humboldt penguin as Endangered, citing a sharp population decline along its Pacific coastline. Scientists warn that without stronger conservation measures, the species may face further decline.

About the Humboldt Penguin

• Scientific Name: Spheniscus humboldti
• Habitat Range: Coastal regions of Chile and Peru, closely associated with the Humboldt Current in the Pacific Ocean.
• Global Distribution: Nearly 80% of the world’s population is found along Chile’s coast.
• Population Trend: Declined from about 45,000 (late 1990s) to fewer than 20,000 at present.

Physical Features

• White C-shaped band extending from the eye around the head
• Distinct black breast band
• Pink fleshy patch around the eyes (thermoregulation)

Diet and Behaviour

• Diet: Carnivorous; feeds mainly on anchovies, sardines, herring, and small marine organisms.
• Nesting: Uses burrows, caves, and guano deposits; does not form large chick crèches, unlike many other penguin species.

Conservation Status

• Chile (National): Endangered
• IUCN: Vulnerable
• CITES: Appendix I (commercial trade prohibited)

Major Threats

• Overfishing & Bycatch: Competition with commercial fisheries; deaths in fishing nets
• Habitat Loss & Pollution: Coastal degradation and marine pollution
• Climate Change: Disruption of food availability and breeding cycles
• El Niño Events: Alter ocean productivity, reducing prey
• Disease: Outbreaks such as avian (bird) flu

Conservation Concerns

• Experts warn that continued pressures could push the species from Endangered to Critically Endangered.
• Reclassification highlights the need for:
  • Stricter sustainable fishing regulations (industrial and small-scale)
  • Protection of breeding and feeding habitats
  • Integrated conservation measures beyond legal reclassification

In News:

The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) and UN Women signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance the participation of women entrepreneurs, especially from the informal sector, in India’s public procurement system under the Womaniya initiative.

About the GeM–UN Women MoU

• Purpose: Promote gender-responsive public procurement by increasing sourcing from women-led businesses.
• Focus Areas:
  • Expanding market access for women entrepreneurs on GeM
  • Capacity building, training, and onboarding of women-led MSEs, SHGs, artisans, and informal-sector enterprises
  • Strengthening hyper-local and forward market linkages
• Implementation:
  • UN Women:
    • Design training modules
    • Share global best practices and success stories
    • Develop validation criteria for women-led businesses
    • Support Womaniya – #VocalForLocal outlet, Udyam registration, and mentoring linkages
  • GeM:
    • Conduct training and onboarding workshops
    • Sensitise government buyers
    • Develop vernacular learning material
    • Connect women entrepreneurs with R&D institutions and Government Labs for product development
• Outcome Alignment: Contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality).

Womaniya Initiative

• Launch: 2019 (on GeM platform)
• Aim: Enable women-led MSEs, SHGs, artisans, and marginalised women to sell directly to government buyers.
• Key Objective: Address the triple challenge faced by women entrepreneurs:
  1. Access to markets
  2. Access to finance
  3. Access to value addition
• Policy Linkage: Supports the objective of 3% reservation in government procurement for women-owned enterprises.
• Impact (Udyam Data):
  • Women-owned MSMEs: 20.5% of total MSMEs
  • Employment contribution: 18.73%
  • Share in total investment: 11.15%

Government e-Marketplace (GeM)

• Launched: 2016
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Commerce and Industry
• Nature: One-stop online public procurement portal for Central & State Ministries, Departments, PSUs, and autonomous bodies
• Operator: GeM Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) – fully government-owned, not-for-profit entity
• Coverage: Adopted across all 36 States and UTs (with several states mandating its use)
• Objectives: Transparency, efficiency, cost savings, and reduced corruption
  • Independent assessments (e.g., World Bank) note ~10% cost savings
• Inclusivity Footprint:
  • 10+ lakh MSEs
  • 1.3 lakh artisans & weavers
  • 1.84 lakh women entrepreneurs
  • 31,000+ startups
• Innovation: GeMAI – India’s first generative AI-powered public sector chatbot, supporting voice and text in 10 Indian languages.

In News:

The President of India paid tribute to Guru Tegh Bahadur on his 350th Martyrdom Day on 24 November.

About Guru Tegh Bahadur

• Position: 9th Sikh Guru
• Known for: Spiritual depth, courage, and supreme sacrifice for religious freedom.

Early Life and Lineage

• Born: 21 April 1621, Amritsar
• Parents: Guru Hargobind (6th Sikh Guru) and Mata Nanki
• Birth Name: Tyag Mal (reflecting ascetic inclination)

Education and Training

• Scriptural Education: Trained under Bhai Gurdas
• Martial Training: Trained by Baba Budha
• Represents the Sikh tradition of spiritual–temporal synthesis (Miri–Piri).

Contributions and Leadership

• Bani: Composed 116 hymns included in the Guru Granth Sahib
• Preaching: Travelled widely across the Indian subcontinent spreading Sikh teachings
• Town Founded: Chak-Nanki, later developed into Shri Anandpur Sahib (Punjab)

Martyrdom and Legacy

• Year: 1675
• Place: Delhi (near present-day Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib)
• Cause: Executed on the orders of Aurangzeb for opposing forced religious conversions and defending freedom of conscience.
• Title Earned: “Hind di Chadar” (Shield of India)

Significance

• First martyr in world history to sacrifice life for the religious freedom of others.
• His martyrdom strengthened India’s tradition of pluralism, tolerance, and human rights.

In News:

The 7th National Security Adviser (NSA) level meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave was held in New Delhi. Seychelles was inducted as the 6th full member, marking a significant expansion of the grouping and strengthening cooperative security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

About the CSC

• Nature: Regional security grouping of Indian Ocean littoral states.
• Members (2025): India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius, Bangladesh, and Seychelles.
• Participants: National Security Advisors (NSAs) and Deputy NSAs for coordinated security cooperation.
• Aim: Address shared transnational security challenges in the IOR.

Origin and Evolution

• 2011: Began as Trilateral Maritime Security Cooperation (India–Sri Lanka–Maldives).
• Post-2014: Momentum slowed due to regional geopolitical dynamics.
• 2020: Revived and rebranded as the Colombo Security Conclave.
• Expansion: Mauritius (2022), Bangladesh (2024), Seychelles (2025).

Core Objectives

• Enhance regional security cooperation.
• Tackle transnational threats of common concern through information-sharing, coordination, and capacity-building.

Pillars of Cooperation

1. Maritime safety and security
2. Counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation
3. Combating trafficking and transnational organised crime
4. Cyber security and protection of critical infrastructure
5. Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)

Institutional Framework

• Permanent Secretariat: Colombo (ensures continuity and coordination).
• Working Mechanism: Regular NSA and Deputy NSA–level meetings.

Significance for India

• Strengthens India’s strategic influence in the IOR through coordinated maritime security, counter-terrorism, and cyber resilience.
• Institutionalised NSA dialogue advances Neighbourhood First and SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision.
• Contributes to a stable, secure, and rules-based regional order.

Seychelles: Strategic Snapshot

• Geography: Archipelagic state of 155 islands in the western Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar; located on the Mascarene Plateau.
• Capital: Victoria (Mahé Island).
• Profile: Africa’s smallest and least populated country.
• Strategic Importance: Sits astride key maritime trade routes; crucial for anti-piracy, maritime security, and the Blue Economy; an important partner in India’s IOR diplomacy and SAGAR vision.