India’s presidency of the G20 has covered a range of initiatives across different sectors, with climate action and eco-friendly actions in focus this week.
The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has announced a beach cleaning drive involving the delegations from various G20 members and guest countries in Mumbai on the sidelines of the G20 meetings on environment. The initiative, planned for this weekend, is designed to draw global attention to the need to combat coastal and marine pollution and the role of citizens and their participation in preventing and cleaning up marine litter.
This will resonate among the diaspora around the world, with the High Commission of India in London organising a Beach Clean-Up at the famous beach in Brighton, southern England, on May 21.
“A healthy ocean makes for a healthy planet. Let us join hands in cleaning the beaches,” the High Commission said.
“Addressing marine litter” is one of the focus areas under India's G20 Presidency and a related beach clean-up drive took place in The Hague last week as part of the global initiative to bring attention to the problem of marine litter and the need to work together towards sustainable development of oceans.
Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of the Netherlands Reenat Sandhu highlighted the powerful message behind the theme of India’s G20 Presidency – “One Earth, One Family, One Future”. The event was also supported by the Municipality of The Hague and representing the City was Deputy Mayor Hilbert Bredemeijer, who spoke about some of the unique initiatives taken in The Hague to address marine pollution.
More than 150 people, including local Dutch citizens, actively participated in the beach clean-up activity and jointly collected 240 kgs of marine litter including 5,410 cigarette butts. A ‘Waste-to-Art’ open air exhibition, showcasing art objects made from trash collected at the beach, was also mounted, which was visited by several hundreds of people at the Scheveningen Beach in the Dutch city.
*Info: G20 India 2023