Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that consensus has been built on the New Delhi G20 Leaders’ Summit Declaration and announced its adoption.
PM Modi, who is chairing the G20 sessions, congratulated the Sherpas and Ministers who had worked towards forging the consensus.
“I have received good news. Due to the hard work of our team, consensus has been built on New Delhi G20 Leaders’ Summit Declaration.”
“My proposal is to adopt this leadership declaration,” said PM Modi
“I announce to adopt this declaration. On this occasion, I congratulate my Sherpa, ministers, who worked hard for it and made it possible,”
he said.
The announcement of the adoption of the declaration was welcomed with the thumping of desks.
In his opening remarks at the Summit, the Prime Minister said that the 21st century is a time that has the potential to give a new direction to the entire world.
“It’s a time when years-old challenges demand new solutions from us. Therefore, we must move forward by fulfilling all our responsibilities with a Human Centric approach,” he said.
African Union’s inclusion in G20: “Let us do whatever we can for development of Global South”
In his opening remarks at the 18th G20 Leaders’ Summit, PM Modi invited the AU, represented by Chairperson Azali Assoumani, to take a seat at the table of G20 leaders as a permanent member.
“With everyone’s approval, I request the AU head to take his seat as a permanent G20 member,”
PM Modi said in his address.
Earlier, the Nigerian president congratulated the African Union on becoming a permanent member of the G20.
He further said that we look forward to further advancing our aspirations on the global stage using the G20 platform.
“Congratulations to the @_AfricanUnion on becoming a permanent member of the #G20. As a continent, we look forward to further advancing our aspirations on the global stage using the G20 platform. Pic: Indian PM @narendramodi and African Union Chairperson @PR_AZALI President Azali Assoumani of Comoros at the G20 Summit in Dehli, India #G20India, the Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu tweeted.
Following the African Union’s inclusion, the South African President’s spokesperson lauded the Group of Twenty’s (G20) decision to add the African Union as a permanent member of the bloc, saying, “We are grateful to India’s leadership in this regard”.
Adding the African Union as a member of G20 was among India’s key aims to achieve during the ongoing G20 summit. The move to include the African Union in the G20 grouping was proposed by PM Modi earlier this June.
In June 2023, Prime Minister Modi said that he had written to G20 counterparts to provide the African Union with full membership at this G20 Summit. PM Modi had proposed that the AU, a bloc of 55 countries from the African continent that was launched in 2002, be given full membership at their request.
The G20 Declaration focuses on promoting strong, sustainable, inclusive growth
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that the G20 Leaders’s Summit Declaration focuses on promoting strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth.
Addressing a joint press conference, Jaishankar said the Declaration seeks to accelerate progress on Sustainable Development Goals and has come up with an action plan accordingly.
“The declaration the leaders have agreed on today focuses on promoting strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth. It seeks to accelerate progress on SDGs and has come up with an action plan accordingly,” the minister said.
“It envisages a green development pact for a sustainable future, it endorses high-level principles on lifestyle for sustainable development, voluntary principles of hydrogen, the Chennai principles for a sustainable resilient blue economy and the Deccan principles on food security and nutrition among others,” he added.
“It’s witnessing the participation of its 20 member states, nine invitee states and 14 international organisations. It is a matter of particular satisfaction for us that the African Union is a permanent member,”
he said.
He said the message of India’s presidency is ‘One Earth, One Family and we share One Future’ and the country has “consciously sought to make this G20 as inclusive and broad-based as possible”.
Calling the New Delhi Declaration “historical and path-breaking,” G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said that India got the “100 per cent” consensus on all developmental and geo-political issues focussing on Strong, Sustainable, Balanced, and Inclusive Growth Accelerating Progress on Sustainable Development Goals.
“Historical and Path breaking #G20 Declaration with 100 per cent consensus on all developmental and geo-political issues. The new geopolitical paras are a powerful call for Planet, People, Peace and Prosperity in today’s world . Demonstrates PM @narendramodi leadership in today’s world,” Kant said on a post shared on X.
“The #NewDelhiLeadersDeclaration focuses on – Strong, Sustainable, Balanced, and Inclusive Growth Accelerating Progress on #SDGs Green Development Pact for a Sustainable Future Multilateral Institutions for the 21st Century Reinvigorating Multilateralism,” he added.
‘Threat or use of Nuclear-weapons inadmissible’: G20 Delhi Declaration on Ukraine war
The “use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible”, G20 nations said in a New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration under the mention of the Ukraine war.
Without mentioning Russia, the G20 member countries recalled the Bali declaration and underscored that all States must act in a manner consistent with the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter in its entirety and called for a “comprehensive, just, and durable peace in Ukraine” and reminded member states to “refrain from the threat, or use of force, to seek territorial acquisition”.
“Concerning the war in Ukraine, while recalling the discussion in Bali, we reiterated our national positions and resolutions adopted at the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly and underscored that all States must act in a manner consistent with the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter in its entirety.
In line with the UN Charter, all states must refrain from the threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state. The use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible,”
the joint declaration read.
Highlighting that G20 is not the platform to resolve geopolitical and security issues, Minister Jaishankar said that the leaders recognised that they can have significant consequences for the global economy,
“In particular, they dwelt on the ongoing war in Ukraine and the impact it has had, especially on developing and least developing nations still recovering from the pandemic and economic disruption.”
“We highlighted the human suffering and negative added impacts of the war in Ukraine with regard to global food and energy security, supply chains, macro-financial stability, inflation and growth, which has complicated the policy environment for countries, especially developing and least developed countries which are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic disruption which has derailed progress towards the SDGs. There were different views and assessments of the situation.”
“The peaceful resolution of conflicts and efforts to address crises as well as diplomacy and dialogue are critical. We will unite in our endeavour to address the adverse impact of the war on the global economy and welcome all relevant and constructive initiatives that support a comprehensive, just, and durable peace in Ukraine that will uphold all the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter for the promotion of peaceful, friendly, and good neighbourly relations among nations in the spirit of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’,” the New Delhi Declaration read.
EAM further said, “The three Fs Food, Fuel and Fertilisers were issues of special concern. Another subject addressed by them… was countering terrorism and money laundering.”
The leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations… Speaking for India, we are clear that no one is left behind. ‘No one left behind’ is as much a foreign policy goal as it is a domestic one…”
In a major win for India, the G20 adopted the New Delhi Leaders Summit Declaration after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that consensus had been reached among member states.
US, India, Saudi Arabia, UAE and EU set to unveil railway, ports connectivity deal
A shipping and rail transportation corridor linking countries across the Middle East, South Asia and Europe is likely to be announced on the sidelines of the ongoing G20 Summit in New Delhi, a White House official has said.
The United States, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the European Union and other G20 partners are set to explore the shipping and rail transportation corridor, which is aimed at aiding in the flow of commerce, energy and data from India across the Middle East up to Europe.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) is expected to be announced at a meeting focused on global infrastructure on the sidelines of the G20 today according to White House Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer.
The leaders are meeting to discuss the global economy and supply chain challenges, among other issues facing the global community.
This agreement after it is inked could be seen as an alternate supply chain in a completely evolved post-pandemic world order.
Finer added that President Biden and Prime Minister Modi will meet with other leaders for an event focused on global infrastructure later today.
“The deal will benefit low and middle-income countries in the region, and enable a critical role for the Middle East in global commerce. We see this as having a high appeal to the countries involved, and also globally, because it is transparent because it is a high standard because it is not coercive,” Finer told media persons.
Delving more on the initiative, Finer noted it was not just a railway project but more of a shipping and railway project.
“It is not just the Railway project, it is a shipping and Railway project and it is important for people to understand how expansive, ambitious and ground-breaking this will be” Finer added.
Finer termed this to-be-built project as “affirmative positive” aimed at serving the underserved.
“The way we see the infra project, it is an affirmative positive project. It has appeal for countries underserved by infra. We are not asking countries to make a zero-sum choice. We have seen other efforts that are not as ambitious, we feel good about the contrast of what we provide,” White House Deputy National Security Advisor said.
The infrastructure deal is expected to connect countries in the Middle East via a network of railways. The network will also connect to India through shipping lanes from ports in the region.
Global Biofuels Alliance, 19 countries stand with India as initiating members
Indian PM Narendra Modi launched the Global Biofuels Alliance in the presence of US President Joe Biden, President of Brazil Luiz Inacio, President of Argentina, Alberto Fernández and Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni.
The Global Biofuel Alliance is one of the priorities under India’s G20 Presidency.
Brazil, India, and the United States, as leading biofuel producers and consumers, will work together during the next few months towards the development of a Global Biofuels Alliance along with other interested countries.
This Alliance will be aimed at facilitating cooperation and intensifying the use of sustainable biofuels, including in the transportation sector. It will place emphasis on strengthening markets, facilitating global biofuels trade, developing concrete policy lesson-sharing and providing technical support for national biofuels programs worldwide.
It will also emphasize the already implemented best practices and success cases.
The Alliance shall work in collaboration with and complement the relevant existing regional and international agencies as well as initiatives in the bioenergy, bioeconomy, and energy transition fields more broadly, including the Clean Energy Ministerial Biofuture Platform, the Mission Innovation Bioenergy initiatives, and the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP).
GBA will be a competent organisation that will set technical standards for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) business in collaboration with relevant industry bodies.
The alliance will have a three-category membership structure bringing together member countries, partner organisations and industries.
The alliance will work towards enhancing global collaboration and cooperation for the accelerated adoption of biofuels by identifying global best practices for the development and deployment of sustainable biofuels and bioproducts.
Nineteen countries agreed to stand with India as initiating members of the Global Biofuels Alliance.
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