The G20 just became bigger—it added a continent. The African Union will become a full member from the next summit in Brazil to make it officially G21.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi secured his first win. And all before the Leaders G20 Summit officially began. It was quick and a win for 'Bharat'. In a first at an international conference—but certainly not last, Modi’s nameplate on the table read simply as 'Bharat'.
“It is in the spirit of togetherness of all that we proposed permanent membership of the African Union,’’ he said in his opening remarks. “With your concurrence, before we proceed, I would like to invite the chair of AU to take his place as a permanent member of G20.”
For India, the presidency of the G20 has been overshadowed by the war on Ukraine. Despite the theme of inclusivity—which has been woven into the G20 programme—and development, there has been no joint communique in the meetings. The Bali consensus on the war on Ukraine is not acceptable to Russia and China, and the West too, does not want to compromise.
While India is still hopeful that a Delhi Declaration will be unanimous, getting the African Union as a member—even before the Leaders Summit begins—is very much a power move. Especially, as it has been initiated by PM Modi. In terms of India's legacy as President of the G20, the inclusion of the African Union ensures that India or Bharat is on a pretty good wicket.
“This is a period to give the world a new direction,’’ he said. “It is a time in which age-old challenges are demanding new solutions from us. It is therefore with a humanistic centric approach that we must fulfill each of our responsibilities and move forward.”
Referring to the elephant in the room—the Ukraine war—Modi said that after Covid-19, the world was going through a new “crisis—the lack of trust”. “War has further deepened this trust deficit..whether it is terrorism, cyber security, health, energy and border security, we have to find concrete solutions for challenges,’’ said Modi.
The first session of the G20 titled One Earth will end in the afternoon, after which there will be a window for bilateral meetings. At 3pm, another session on One Family will begin. The leaders are all hosted by the President for a banquet.
