At G20 Summit, PM Modi Urges Global Coalition Against Drug–Terror Nexus
Modi calls for a dedicated G20 initiative to curb synthetic drug trafficking and choke terror financing.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday pressed world leaders to launch a dedicated G20 Initiative to counter the growing drug–terror nexus, warning that the spread of potent synthetic substances like fentanyl has become a major threat to public health, social stability and global security.
Speaking at the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, Modi said synthetic drugs are proliferating rapidly worldwide and are increasingly linked to criminal networks that fund terrorist groups. He proposed that the new initiative integrate financial, governance and security mechanisms to break trafficking chains, disrupt illicit money flows and weaken the economic backbone of terror organisations. He stressed that no country can tackle the issue alone and called for united global action.
Modi reportedly unveiled four new proposals aimed at strengthening global development, including the effort to counter the drug–terror nexus.
Opening the summit, he urged member nations to rethink global development priorities through approaches that are inclusive, sustainable and informed by civilisational wisdom. “India’s civilisational values, especially the principle of Integral Humanism, offer a way forward,” he said at a session on inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
Modi also suggested creating a G20 Global Healthcare Response Team—trained medical units that can be rapidly deployed during health emergencies and natural disasters—and an Africa Skills Multiplier Initiative to support capacity building across the continent.
“We are stronger when we work together in the face of health emergencies and natural disasters,” he said, calling for greater preparedness and cooperation among G20 nations.
According to Reuters, the G20 declaration emphasised the need to strengthen multilateral cooperation to confront emerging risks to the global economy. It also pledged support for “a just, comprehensive and lasting peace” in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the occupied Palestinian territory, and Ukraine. The declaration was drafted without U.S. input, a move a White House official described as “shameful,” Reuters added.
