Modi says cyberspace must be an avenue for advancing democratic values

New Delhi, June 14, 2021

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday stressed the need to ensure that cyberspace remained an avenue for advancing democratic values and not of subverting them.

Speaking in an Outreach Session of the G7 Summit on "Open Societies and Economies", he pointed out that democracy and freedom were a part of India's civilizational ethos.

He shared the concern expressed by several Leaders that open societies are particularly vulnerable to disinformation and cyber-attacks.

Highlighting the non-democratic and unequal nature of global governance institutions, Modi called for the reform of the multilateral system as the best signal of commitment to the cause of Open Societies. The leaders adopted the "Open Societies Statement" at the end of the meeting.

In a separate Outreach Session on "Building Back Greener: Climate and Nature", the Prime Minister said the planet's atmosphere, biodiversity and oceans could not be protected by countries acting in silos, and called for collective action on climate change.

Speaking about India's unwavering commitment to climate action, he mentioned the commitment by Indian Railways to achieve Net Zero Emissions by 2030. He stressed that India is the only G-20 country on track to meet its Paris commitments.

Modi also took note of the increasing effectiveness of the two major global initiatives nurtured by India -- the CDRI and the International Solar Alliance.

He stressed that developing countries need better access to climate finance, and called for a holistic approach towards climate change that covers all dimensions of the problem- mitigation, adaptation, technology transfer, climate financing, equity, climate justice and lifestyle change.

"Prime Minister's message of global solidarity and unity, especially between open and democratic societies and economies, in tackling the global challenges of health, climate change and economic recovery was well received by the Leaders at the Summit," an official press release added.

NNN