The G20 must help resolve debt crisis across the world
Live MintDebt distress is not merely a macroeconomic problem. As India has assumed the G20 presidency at an uncertain time for the global economy, addressing debt distress, initiating action and devising a coordinated framework for relief would be daunting endeavour.The G20 in 2020 launched a Common Framework which brought creditors such as China and India, along with the IMF, the Paris Club and the private creditors to the negotiation table. The G20’s Debt Service Suspension Initiative was able to suspend $12.9 billion in debt-service payments owed by participant countries to their creditors between May 2020 and December 2021, by latest estimates. Nonetheless, the debt composition of these DSSI countries has changed in the last two decades, with multilateral debt obligations now accounting for about 48%, followed by Chinese debt, eurobonds, Paris Club lending and private lending. Under the G20’s aegis, India should provide leadership and help negotiate commitments to debt relief before this crisis worsens global economic conditions.