Meghalaya: Shillong gears-up to host G20 meeting, to showcase cultural heritage

Preparations for the G20 meeting, which will be held here next week, are well underway, according to Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynson on April 13. 

The summit will be attended by senior diplomats and space department officials from 15 G20 countries. 

As part of this event, the state government will highlight its rich cultural legacy, and delegates will get the opportunity to discover the natural beauty of Shillong and Meghalaya, according to the DyCM. 

According to a release, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, ISRO Chairman, and G20 Sherpa will attend the event's opening on April 17. 

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) of the Department of Space (DOS) is conducting the precursor event of the fourth edition of the 'Space Economy Leaders Meeting' (SELM) at Hotel Courtyard Marriott here as part of India's G20 Presidency, according to a release. 

According to the DyCM, the G20 space event here will aid in the continued expansion of space technology applications in this region and increase the involvement of space enterprises and start-ups. 

The Deputy CM remarked that the discussions at the event here will be important in attracting Heads of Space Agencies and Space Industries for the Bengaluru event in July of this year. The event in Shillong, with the theme 'SELM - towards a new space ERA (Economy, Responsibility, Alliance),' is in line with India's G20 Summit theme of 'One Earth, One Space, and One Future' to further enhance the contribution of responsible space actors in the global economy, according to an event statement. 

Preparations are underway to host the G20 summit here, which will bring together space industry leaders, high-level diplomats from the 15 G20 nations, and space department officials to discuss the latest trends in space's contribution to the global economy, as well as to brief them on the SELM event, which will be held in Bengaluru in July of this year. 

Space technology-based inputs and services have become a routine part of our daily lives, and the significance of space technology to global economic growth is expanding, motivating G20 space organisations to push to include space as an agenda item at the G20 Summit.