The Hindu Editorial (Building consensus) – Sep 08, 2023

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The Hindu Editorial (Building consensus) – Sep 08, 2023:

consensus (noun) – an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group, agreement, concurrence.
G-20 (noun) – The G20, formed in 1999, is a group of twenty of the world’s largest economies that meets regularly to coordinate global policy on trade, health, climate, and other issues. It brings together the world’s major advanced and emerging economies. The G20 comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, EU, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, UK and USA. The G20 Countries together represent around 90% of global GDP, 80% of global trade, and two thirds of the world’s population.
summit (noun) – meeting, conference, conclave (international meeting/conference of heads of state/government).
presidency (noun) – premiership, leadership, chairmanship, stewardship.
hinge on (verb) – depend on, be based, be dependent.
truce (noun) – temporary cessation/suspension (of hostilities); a deal to stop fighting for a certain time.
fractious (adjective) – argumentative, quarrelsome, contentious, controversial, difficult (to control), disagreeable.
mark (verb) – represent, indicate, signify; acknowledge recognize.
egalitarian (adjective) – relating to the idea that all people are equal and should have equal rights and opportunities; fair, just, equal, impartial, unbiased.
G-7 or Group of Seven (noun) – a multilateral forum made up of the world’s seven largest so-called developed countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. They meet annually to discuss and exchange ideas on a broad range of issues, including global economy, security and energy.
pre-eminent (adjective) – outstanding, leading, top-most, main, premier.
forum (noun) – meeting, assembly, gathering, conference, convention; setting, stage, place, medium.
hamstring (verb) – restrict, cripple, hinder, obstruct, slow down (the ability or efficiency of someone/something); to make ineffective, to make powerless.
headwinds (noun) – (in business) situations or conditions that make growth harder/difficult. Whereas tailwinds describe a situation or condition that will move growth, revenues, or profits higher.
exacerbate (verb) – intensify, heighten, increase; aggravate, worsen, make worse.
pandemic (noun) – the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.
environment (noun) – situation, background, scenario, context, atmosphere.
imperative (noun) – necessary condition, precondition, condition, essential requirement.
climate finance (noun) – it refers to local, national or transnational financing-drawn from public, private and alternative sources of financing-that seeks to support mitigation and adaptation actions that will address climate change.
alleviation (noun) – mitigation, moderation, reduction, decrease, eradication.
conflict (noun) – war, warfare, armed conflict, military action, armed clash.
sanctions (noun) – action taken, or an order given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country, etc.
split (verb) – divide, break up, separate, disunite, partition.
down the middle (phrase) – to separate/divide something into two equal parts.
forge (verb) – construct, form, establish, create, put together.
tenuous (adjective) – slight, insubstantial, negligible, weak/shaky; doubtful, dubious, questionable, vague, unspecific, indefinite.
enlist (verb) – join, enroll in, sign up for.
amidst (preposition) – amid, in the middle of; during.
bilateral (adjective) – involving two groups or countries.
tensions (noun) – strained relations, strain, unease.
move (noun) – action, act, step, measure.
Sherpa (noun) – an expert (a civil servant or diplomat) accompanying the leader of a member country to an international summit meeting; The term is derived from local people employed as porters/guides for mountaineers in the Himalayas. In Tibetan, shar means East; pa is a suffix meaning ‘people’.
Sherpa Track – G20 (noun) – The Sherpas oversee negotiations (talks/discussions) over the course of the year, discussing agenda items for the Summit.
spoiler (noun) – a person who is spoiling something.
heavy lifting (noun) – difficult work.
in the face of (phrase) – despite, notwithstanding, regardless of; when confronted with, against.
against all odds (phrase) – if yo do/achieve something against all odds, you do/achieve it despite (it) appeared impossible or very unlikely.
odds (noun) – advantage, lead, edge.
vitality (noun) – energy, strength, power, vigour.
valiant (adjective) – bold, fearless, brave, courageous.
well-thought-out (adjective) – well-calculated, well-considered, well-planned.
make clear (phrase) – explain, clarify, elucidate.
take sides (phrase) – support, back, give one’s support to, be on the side of, stand by, stand up for, ally oneself with, associate oneself with.
The Global South (noun) – the poor developing countries (of Asia, Africa, South America, amongst others).
The Global North (noun) – the economically developed countries (of Europe, North America, Australia, amongst others).
energy security (noun) – the uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price. Energy security has many aspects: long-term energy security mainly deals with timely investments to supply energy in line with economic developments and environmental needs. On the other hand, short-term energy security focuses on the ability of the energy system to react promptly to sudden changes in the supply-demand balance.
multilateral (adjective) – involving many different countries.
geopolitical (adjective) – relating to (the study of) the geographical factors (a country’s position on the earth, size, climate, and natural resources &, etc.) in world politics and inter-state relations.
Voice of Global South Summit (noun) – India hosted a two-day Voice of Global South Summit on 12-13 January 2023. The Summit was held in virtual format, with 10 sessions in total. It saw participation of Leaders and Ministers from 125 countries of the Global South. It was under the theme “Unity of Voice, Unity of Purpose” to bring together these countries to share their perspectives and priorities on a common platform.
champion (verb) – support, endorse, approve, advocate, back.
induction (noun) – a formal entry into an organization or position or office; introduction, admission, initiation, inception.
The African Union (AU) (noun) – it is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent. It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999).
a feather in one’s cap (phrase) – an achievement to be proud of.
go through (phrasal verb) – be completed, be concluded, be carried through, be approved, be pulled off.
democratise (verb) – make something available to everyone.
colossally (adverb) – hugely, enormously, massively.
showcase (verb) – display, exhibit, demonstrate, illustrate, present.
diversity (noun) – existence/presence of different people (from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives ranging from race to age to gender to hometown to educational experience) within group; variety, variance, difference.
cement (verb) – establish, settle firmly.
legacy (noun) – something received from a predecessor or from the past.