 "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending the G20 tomorrow. File image/PTI")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in South Africa for the G20 tomorrow (November 21).
The theme for this event, which is being held in Johannesburg till November 23, is ‘Inclusive Growth for a Sustainable Future.’ The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Modi, who will speak in all three formal sessions of the summit, will put forth India’s views on the agenda of the G20.
But what can we expect from the summit? What about India’s growing clout?
Let’s take a closer look.
What we can expect
Modi will expound on a number of subjects such as inclusive growth
and sustainability, global security particularly when it comes to climate change and disaster risks, and emerging technologies such as the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and critical minerals.
The summit gains significance given the growing instability around the world, the economic issues countries are facing, and the threat of extremism.
The sessions Modi will address include:
Inclusive & Sustainable Economic Growth — covering trade, financing development, and debt
A Resilient World — dealing with disaster risk reduction, climate change, just energy transitions, and food systems
A Fair & Just Future for All — topics include critical minerals, decent work, and AI.
Modi is likely to call for fair market access and further reforms that give the Global South a bigger role when it comes to global economic decisions. He is also likely to push for a strong stand to be taken on terrorism as part of the G20’s joint declarations.
New Delhi has long demanded that the G20 nations act against states that support or finance terror networks. Modi will likely reiterate that terrorism, extremism and radicalisation are a global problem and not just the bane of one country or region.
India will likely seek the inclusion of international counterterrorism measures, including financial tracking of terror funding, in the final communique.
Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with a number of world leaders in Johannesburg . Modi will also join the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Leaders’ Meeting being hosted by South Africa.
The India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Forum is a trilateral platform founded in 2003. The idea behind it is to bring together three major democracies and emerging economies from Asia, South America, and Africa.
It is aimed at increasing cooperation in trade, development , defence, governance and greater collaboration. It also focuses on taking joint positions on global issues, advocates UN reforms including expansion of the Security Council, and jointly finances development projects in poorer nations through the UN-administered IBSA Fund.
India’s growing clout at G20
This is the fourth straight such gathering to be held in the Global South , a trend kicked off by Bali in 2022 which handed the presidency, which is held in rotation, to India in 2023. New Delhi, the world’s largest democracy, had held a glittering G20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023 before handing the baton over to Brazil.
Brazil had assumed the presidency of the G20 from December 1, 2023, to November 30, 2024. It held the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro. South Africa then took the G20 presidency from Brazil on December 1, 2024.
Incidentally, US President Donald Trump is one of the leaders who is skipping the G20 Summit this year. Trump earlier this month said he would not attend the G20 in Johannesburg.
“I am not going. We have a G20 meeting in South Africa. South Africa shouldn’t even be in the Gs any more because what’s happened there is bad. I told them I’m not going. I’m not going to represent our country there. It shouldn’t be there,” Trump, addressing the America Business Forum in Miami, said.
An American president missing such a high-profile forum is a rare deal indeed. The development comes as India and the United States continue to negotiate a trade deal. Many in the White House have been frustrated by India refusing to cross certain red lines including in the fields of dairy and agriculture.
India has said that there can be no compromise on its sovereignty in any trade deal. Modi, in an election rally, had claimed he was willing to pay any price to protect India’s farmers.
About the G20
The G20 comprises 19 countries, the European Union, and the African Union — the bloc representing the world’s biggest advanced and emerging economies.
The members are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with the European Union. Together, these nations account for about 85 per cent of global GDP, 75 per cent of world trade, and two-thirds of the global population. The African Union joined the bloc under India’s presidency.
With inputs from agencies