The G20 Summit in New Delhi was an exhibition of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 9-year-long foreign policy of strengthening relations with global powers and utilising the same to generate global consensus on matters concerning not only India, but the world. The two-day summit put the seal on India’s decisive rise to prominence. Here’s a look at the top 10 highlights from the G20 Summit that made India’s Presidency a rousing success:
1. PM Modi addresses G20 Summit with ‘Bharat’ nameplate
India became renowned for its ancient Sanskrit name ‘Bharat’ at the G20 Summit when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s seat displayed a nameplate by the same name.
President Droupadi Murmi’s dinner invitation to the G20 heads of state also mentioned Bharat instead of India. The Bharat nameplate at PM Modi’s seat at the Summit reflects the ascent of New India.
2. The G20 Delhi Declaration
The idiom “Don’t count your eggs before they are hatched” is lost upon the Western media. Headlines were published to project India’s Presidency in a bad light as no joint declaration was released until the Summit. A narrative was being run implying that the New Delhi Summit was unproductive owing to no joint communique.
And then, on 9th September, the first day of the Summit, PM Modi announced that all members of the G20 had arrived at a consensus to release a joint communique.
Speaking at the Session-2 on 'One Family' during the G20 Summit in Delhi. https://t.co/tj1jrzelBA
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 9, 2023
Defying speculations that the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Delhi under India’s presidency would end without a joint statement due to differences over a range of issues, the group adopted the New Delhi G20 Leaders’ Summit Declaration.
Not only was India’s Presidency a roaring success with the release of the declaration but it received heaps of praise from Russia and Europe alike for the same, even as both sides were earlier sparring for their respective agendas to be mentioned prominently in the declaration.
3. Highest number of outcomes and presidency documents released under the India Presidency
Compared to previous presidencies, the G20 event in Delhi witnessed one of the most inclusive and delivery-oriented events. The G20 under India’s presidency has achieved 73 outcomes or lines of effort and 39 annexed presidency documents. This is the highest number of outcomes and presidency documents in the G20 history and is substantially more than previous presidencies.
The G20 event in India was a vast exercise, which included over 220 meetings in over 60 cities, where over 25,000 delegates from more than 115 countries in the world. While the summit meeting was taking place in Delhi, other meetings were held all over India, including North East and Ladakh. The 220 meetings included 17 ministerial meetings and 3 Sherpa meetings.
4. African Union inducted as a permanent member to make G21
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of the Group of 20 countries. In his opening remarks at the 18th G20 Leaders’ Summit, PM Modi invited the African Union, represented by Chairperson Azali Assoumani, to take a seat at the table of G20 leaders as a permanent member.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar accosted the President of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union (AU), Azali Assoumani as he took his seat among world leaders.
This was a major milestone achieved by the Indian Presidency under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership who, in June 2023, had written to G20 counterparts to provide the African Union with full membership at this G20 Summit. PM Modi has given special focus to India’s ties with the African Union using their shared history and values against anti-colonialism.
5. Global Biofuel Alliance
Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with the leaders of Singapore, Bangladesh, Italy, USA, Brazil, Argentina, Mauritius, and UAE, launched the Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA) on 9 September 2023, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi.
The GBA, an initiative by India, intends to expedite the global uptake of biofuels through facilitating technology advancements, intensifying utilization of sustainable biofuels, and shaping robust standard setting and certification through the participation of a wide spectrum of stakeholders.
The alliance will also act as a central repository of knowledge and an expert hub. GBA aims to serve as a catalytic platform, fostering global collaboration for the advancement and widespread adoption of biofuels.
It was affirmed that this alliance will accelerate global efforts to meet net zero emissions targets by facilitating trade in biofuels derived from various sources, including plant and animal waste.
6. India’s ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ initiative envisioned by global leaders
On the first day of the two-day G20 Summit in Delhi hosted by India, several major achievements were recorded, including the adoption of the joint statement Delhi Declaration by G20 leaders.
The first session on ‘One Earth’ included discussions on the International Year of Millets, Green Grids Initiative – One Sun, One World, One Grid, Natural Farming, and the National Green Hydrogen Mission. Taking to X, PM Modi tweeted about the same.
“Highlighted the need to further human-centric development, which is also something Indian culture has always emphasised on,” PM Modi wrote on X.
Spoke at Session 1 of the G20 Summit on the subject of One Earth. Highlighted the need to further human centric development, which is also something Indian culture has always emphasised on.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 9, 2023
It is with a spirit of One Earth that India has worked on initiatives such as LiFE… pic.twitter.com/lVB2OoBioI
At second session titled “One Family”, the Prime Minister announced the Delhi Declaration. The Prime Minister quoted from the Vedas, ancient Hindu scriptures, “एको अहम् बहुस्याम्!” (Eko Aham Bahusyaam) meaning “I am one; let me become many.”
Basing India’s vision for the world on this Vedic premise, PM Modi said that the essence of “One Family” is to connect every class, every country, every society, and every region of the world and to think of the whole from the self.
At the One Family Session of the G20 Summit, elaborated on how to collectively think about empowering fellow humans and making our planet more inclusive as well as sustainable.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 9, 2023
Gave the example of how technology has been leveraged to bring a positive difference in the lives of… pic.twitter.com/SqT9OjStps
At the third session on day 2 of the Summit, PM spoke about realising the economic aspirations of what he called the “Global Village”. He wrote on X, “Simply having a GDP centric approach is outdated. Time has come to adopt a human centric vision of progress. India has been making several efforts in this regard, particularly in areas relating to data and technology. We must do whatever we can to use AI for socio-economic development.”
Shared my thoughts during Session 3 of the G20 Summit. This Session focussed on the theme of ‘One Future.’ Emphasised on the need of the hour being to look beyond the idea of a Global Village and make the vision of Global Family a reality. pic.twitter.com/KcypGXdLsP
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 10, 2023
7. Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII)
PM Modi and US President Joe Biden co-chaired a special event on Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) on the sidelines of G20 Summit. PGII is a developmental initiative aimed at narrowing the infrastructure gap in developing countries as well as help towards accelerating progress on SDGs globally.
“Through PGII, we can make a significant contribution in reducing the infrastructure gap in the countries of the Global South,” the Prime Minister said.
8. India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Saudi Arabia, EU, India, UAE, France, Germany, Italy, and the US to work together to establish the India – Middle East – Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). The IMEC is expected to stimulate economic development through enhanced connectivity and economic integration between Asia, the Arabian Gulf, and Europe.
Sharing my remarks at the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment & India-Middle East-Europe Economics Corridor event during G20 Summit. https://t.co/Ez9sbdY49W
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 9, 2023
The ambitious project aims to establish India as a significant global hub for international business and commerce by linking India, the Middle East, and the EU. This project is expected to be a big rival to China’s Belt and Road project, which has left a host of developing countries in deep debt such as Pakistan, Kenya, Zambia, Laos, and Mongolia.
The countries involved in the new rail and shipping corridor will experience an increased flow of energy, trade and digital communications. The corridor will tackle the infrastructure deficit that hampers growth in lower- and middle-income nations, and will help in reducing tensions and instability in the Middle East, thereby improving overall regional security.
9. UK commits $2 billion to the Green Climate Fund (GCF)
One of the most talked about leaders amongst the G20 heads of state was UK PM Rishi Sunak. His popularity was amplified with the country pledging a whopping $2 billion to the Green Climate Fund (GCF). He said the fund was to help developing countries cope with climate change.
According to the UK government’s press release, this is the biggest single funding commitment by the UK to the world to help fight climate change.
10. G20 unanimously condemns terrorism and terror funding
The Group of 20 “condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”. The declaration read, “We condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including those on the basis of xenophobia, racism and other forms of intolerance, or in the name of religion or belief, recognizing the commitment of all religions to peace. It constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.”
Furthermore, all nations gave a call for counterterrorism measures including putting a stop to terror funding. Members committed to support increasing the resource needs of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for the same.
