Two-day G20 Infrastructure Working Group to begin in Khajuraho tomorrow

The fourth G20 Infrastructure Working Group meeting under the G20 India Presidency will begin in Khajuraho on Thursday.

The meeting would be the last for the Infrastructure Working Group (IWG) during the India's G20 Presidency.

The two-day event will bring together more than 54 delegates from G20 member countries, guest countries and international organisations invited by India, a statement from the finance ministry said on Wednesday.

The forum will deliberate on key issues in continuation of the discussions held during the previous three IWG meetings, it said, adding that the meeting will be hosted and chaired by the Ministry of Finance, along with Australia and Brazil as co-chairs.

The G20 Infrastructure Working Group will deliberate on various aspects of infrastructure investments, including developing infrastructure as an asset class, promoting quality urban infrastructure, infratech, and identify innovative instruments for mobilising financial resources for investment towards resilient, sustainable and inclusive urban infrastructure, it said.

The fourth IWG meeting will finalise the priorities of the 2023 Infrastructure Agenda, such as the World Bank report on the Enablers of inclusive cities, the compilation of Infrastructure Taxonomies, and the infra tracker tool to track the investments made by various countries in the infrastructure sectors, it said.

Official meetings and cultural programmes have been planned for the delegates during the two-day meeting, it said.

On the sidelines of the IWG meetings, it said, a discussion is being organised in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), where representatives from institutions such as the World Bank, OECD, EBRD, and UNDP, as well as representatives from the public and private sector, will deliberate on the mechanisms to scale up private sector investments in urban infrastructure.

The discussions aim to capture the private sector perspective on addressing the challenges and enabling cities to mobilise private and commercial finance, it said.

In addition to the formal discussions, it said, the presidency has also arranged excursions for delegates to experience the rich cultural heritage of Khajuraho.

During their stay, the delegates will visit the famous UNESCO World Heritage site at the Western Group of Temples, Adivart Museum and Raneh Falls.

The delegates will also be hosted for 'Ratri Bhoj Par Samvad' (Conversation over Dinner) to relish local cuisines, the statement said, adding that the Presidency has also planned a yoga session and a cricket match on September 23 for the delegates.