Summits & Meetings - Current Affairs for July, 2017

BRICS countries-Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa have agreed to work together to ensure stable employment and better quality of life for their people.

Decision in this regard was taken at the 2017 Labour and Employment Ministers’ meeting held in Chongqing, China.

The meeting comes ahead of 2017 BRICS Summit to be held in Xiamen, China in September 2017.

Labour and Employment Ministers from BRICS counters discussed topics ranging from skills-driven development to a universally sustainable social security system.

They passed BRICS Labour and Employment Ministerial Declaration. It covers a variety of areas that are of critical importance to all BRICS countries including India and called upon strengthening collaboration and cooperation on these through appropriate institutionalisation.

These areas covered under the declaration consist of Governance in the Future of Work, Universal and sustainable social security systems, Skills for development in BRICS, BRICS Social Security Cooperation Framework, BRICS Network of Labour Research Institutions and BRICS entrepreneurship research.

They also presented four documents, including one on common ground in labour market governance and an action plan on skills-driven poverty alleviation.

They also held that they should work together to boost employment and inclusive growth, enhancing the skills of professionals to alleviate poverty.

India will be hosting the 5th Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) in 2017, one of the world’s largest conference on Cyber Space and related issues.

Themed on Cyber4All: An Inclusive, Sustainable, Developmental, Safe and Secure Cyberspace, the GCCS 2017 will be inaugurated by Shri Narendra Modi.

To be held in India for the first time, the two-day conference will see participation of around 2000 delegates from senior Government officials, industry leaders, academia and civil society from over 100 countries.

GCCS will congregate and deliberate on issues relating to promotion of cooperation in cyberspace, norms for responsible behaviour in cyberspace and to enhance cyber capacity building.

Many of these delegations will be headed at Ministerial level delegates thereby making it an important forum of global consultation of various issues of cyber space.

Among the multiple transformative programmes under Digital India, the biggest thing that India brings about to the table is Digital Inclusion that makes it sustainable and developmental; which has been given utmost importance under the theme Cyber4All.

The GCCS 2017 will take place on the 23rd and 24th of November, 2017 in Aero City, New Delhi. Multiple run-up events are planned across India and abroad to create awareness about GCCS 2017, along with 2 days of pre-event activities right before the conference.

GCCS: Know More

• GCCS is a prestigious international conference that aims at encouraging dialogue among stakeholders of cyberspace, which has been taking place since 2011.
  Incepted in 2011 in London, GCCS witnessed a participation of 700 global delegates.
• It helped in setting up rules and guidelines for the editions to follow.
• The second conference was held in 2012 in Budapest with focus on relationship between internet rights and internet security and was attended by 700 delegates from nearly 60 countries.
• The third edition of GCCS was held in 2013 in Seoul with participation from 1600 delegates.
• The conference built on the themes such as Economic Growth and Development, Social and Cultural Benefits, a Safe and Secure Cyberspace, Cybercrime and International Security.
• The fourth version GCCS 2015 was held on April 16-17, 2015 in The Hague, Netherlands.
• Nearly 1800 members from nearly 100 countries participated in this conference and over 60 countries participated with delegations led at Ministerial level.
• The conference focused on Freedom, Security and Growth in cyber space. GCCS 2015 was a program designed as high level stock taking exercise and to generate input for other ongoing processes rather than an independent norm setting initiative.
• The launch of Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE) was main deliverable of the conference for capacity building in cyber space.

• ‘Goal of GCCS 2017 is to promote an inclusive Cyber Space with focus on policies and frameworks for inclusivity, sustainability, development, security, safety & freedom.
• Also on the anvil technology and partnerships for upholding digital democracy, maximizing collaboration for strengthening security and safety and advocating dialogue for digital diplomacy’.
• It will be an opportunity to showcase the “Digital India” program as a positive, sustainable and scalable model for use of ICTs for addressing developmental challenges and growth opportunities.
• It can help provide vision of inclusive digital society for inclusive growth, education, healthcare especially for developing world.
• The plenary sessions and other activities during GCCS 2017 will be designed around the themes of Cyber4Inclusive Growth, Cyber4DigitalInclusion, Cyber4Security and Cyber4Diplomacy.
• During various sessions and activities focused around these themes, GCCS 2017 will bring forth the business, empowerment and developmental potential of Cyber space for realizing the goals of sustainable development.
• Cyber security will be one of the major focus areas in GCCS 2017 especially as the central government is in the process of setting up separate sector specific emergency response centres to ensure cyber security and strengthen technology infrastructure.
• GCCS 2017 will be an excellent platform for Industry and its Associations, Civil Society, Academia, Governments and Think-tanks from across the world to deliberate on issues, opportunities and challenges faced in the cyber world and pave the way for a better digital future.
• Indian start-ups will also get exposure to the global industry leaders and investors in GCCS 2017 to pitch their ideas through multiple seminars, side events and exhibitions.

India participated in the fourth Joint International Taskforce on Shared Intelligence and Collaboration (JITSIC) meeting reconvened in Paris to pursue the work on the Panama Papers in the last week of June 2017.

Based on legal instruments under the OECD and Council of Europe Multilateral Convention and tax treaties, a number of countries shared information in confidential Competent Authorities sessions, on structures that facilitate, enable and promote tax avoidance / evasion.

India also shared its experience in this regard.

Demonstrating the value and strength of JITSIC, 30 project participant countries have continued to exchange, analyse and act on information about taxpayers and intermediaries connected to Mossack Fonseca.

In the past six months, more than 570 requests for information have been sent to 32 countries.

India has also sent several requests for information to various jurisdictions in the Panama Paper cases since the last meeting in January 2017.

JITSIC members have established the capability to allow for fast, effective and coordinated multilateral responses to any future data leaks and are sharing the same.

JITSIC will continue to identify more arrangements as countries continue their investigations and share intelligence and new data comes to light.

Collaboration with JITSIC has been useful for India in its fight against offshore tax evasion.

The First edition of WINGS 2017 Sab Uden, Sab Juden”- Expanding Regional Connectivity was hosted in New Delhi by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The Plenary session was chaired by the Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju.

Around 338 delegates from Government and Civil Aviation sector participated in the first edition of WINGS-2017.

This event brought together the key stakeholders of the Aviation Sector such as States, Tourism Departments and Tour Operators as a Group representing airline consumers to facilitate interaction.

It sought discussion with various airlines, airport operators, cargo operators and other ecosystem players at a common forum.

The event saw participation from 28 States and Union Territories and out of this 19 states and Union Territory made presentation emphasizing the incentives or special packages to the airlines other than the support offered by Government of India under RCS- UDAN.

During the Wings-2017, Interactive sessions with Stakeholders of entire Ecosystem such as Tourism Departments, Tour Operators, Airport Operators, Cargo Operators, Aircraft Manufacturers, Engine Manufacturers and other players in the value chain was convened.

The States enthusiastically capitalized upon the unique platform provided by the ministry, wherein they had 112 one to one discussions (G2B meetings) with the Airlines operators in an attempt to showcase their destinations and routes as viable business market for the airlines.

The WINGS 2017 lived upon the expectations and served as a unique outcome oriented platform for the stakeholders of the entire ecosystem in the Civil Aviation sector.

Some notable outcomes expected from the forum are identification, marketing of new routes, destination and most importantly making flying accessible to the citizens across the country.

Smt. Sumitra Mahajan, Speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha inaugurated the 4th National Summit on Good, Replicable Practices and Innovations in Public Health Care Systems at Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

National Health Policy, 2017 is a landmark step as it commits to comprehensive primary healthcare, effective regulatory framework and best infrastructure.

The Health Ministry also gave away awards to the states on the basis of Health Indicators and Service Delivery.

The award for best performing States in the category of indoor services (based on change of IPD/1000 population from 2015-16 to 2016-17-HMIS) was given to Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Daman and Diu got the award among the Union Territories (UTs).

For the best out-patient services, the award was given to Gujarat, Punjab and Jharkhand whereas Dadra and Nagar Haveli got the award amongst the Union Territories.

For, average out of pocket expenditure per delivery in public health facility, the award was given to Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

Among the UTs, the award was given to Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

The award for decline in IMR was given to Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal among the bigger states, Manipur received it amongst the smaller states and Puducherry amongst the UTs.

Best Performance in Revised National TB Control Programme was given to Assam and Himachal Pradesh.