IRIA News

Leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies gathered in the Indian capital, New Delhi, for the two-day long G20 leaders’ summit on 9-10 September 2023. The group managed to sign off a joint statement despite disagreements on several issues, including the Russian-Ukraine war.

Defying the expectations of several observers, the Group of 20, which brought Moscow and Beijing to the same table as the Western powers, reached a consensus on a joint declaration that addresses the growing challenges including the Russia-Ukraine war and climate change issue.

The G20 summit adopted a carefully drafted declaration on the second day of the event that avoided directly condemning Moscow for the war in Ukraine but called on all states not to use force to grab territory.

Indian Prime Minister and Chair of the 2023 G20 Leaders’ Summit, Narendra Modi, announced the joint declaration. “On the back of the hard work of all the teams, we have received consensus on the G20 Leaders’ Summit Declaration. I announce the adoption of this declaration,” Modi told the leaders.

“We call on all states to uphold the principles of international law including territorial integrity and sovereignty, international humanitarian law, and the multilateral system that safeguards peace and stability,” the declaration said.

One Earth.
One Family.
One Future.

That’s the focus of this G20 Summit: building resilient infrastructure, making quality infrastructure investments, and creating a better future that represents greater opportunity, dignity, and prosperity for everyone. pic.twitter.com/2HDIf5RDj0

— President Biden (@POTUS) September 9, 2023

At the G20 Summit in New Delhi, U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi co-hosted a group of alliance leaders to accelerate investments and the development of economic corridors through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI). The meeting was attended by the leaders of the U.S., India, Italy, France, Germany, Japan, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, as well as representatives from the European Union and the World Bank.

Division on the Ukraine war

The part of the joint declaration that addresses the importance of territorial integrity has been interpreted differently by world leaders based on their own national outlooks. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the declaration demonstrated a clear position on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the declaration had “very strong language about Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.”

However, Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said the declaration was “nothing to be proud of,” adding that a Ukrainian presence at the event would have given participants a better understanding of the situation.

There was no immediate reaction or comment by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was present at the summit representing the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

African Union Joins G20

G20 leaders welcomed the African Union (AU) as the newest permanent member of the bloc. AU represents more than 50 African countries. Indian Prime Minister Modi opened the summit’s formal proceedings by inviting AU President Azali Assoumani to take a seat alongside world leaders.

The G20 comprised of 19 countries and the European Union, with South Africa being the only African representation in the bloc before the AU’s admission. The AU, which has a full strength of 55 countries, has a collective GDP of $3 trillion with a population of more than 1.3 billion.

🌍 Exciting news! On this AU Day, we celebrate a significant milestone: the @_AfricanUnion‘s inclusion in the #G20.

This recognition reflects #Africa‘s growing influence on the global stage. Together, we’re shaping a brighter future for our continent & the world.

Happy #AUDay! pic.twitter.com/WatFyvKhYJ

— African Union ECOSOCC (@AU_ECOSOCC) September 9, 2023

AU’s accession into the bloc enjoyed widespread support from the leaders with U.S. President Joe Biden saying that it has been “a long time coming”.

Division on climate change

The G20 leaders found minimal common ground on the issues related to climate change as the joint declaration failed to provide any concrete pledge to phase out polluting fossil fuels. With major fossil-fuel-producing economies like Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Australia, and coal-dependent nations like India and South Africa, sharing the seats on the table, there was no overarching commitment to phase out the polluting fuels.

G20 countries are collectively responsible for about 80% of global emissions. During the summit, G20 leaders vowed to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030 while committing only to a “phasedown” of coal “in line with national circumstances”.

During the summit, Indian Prime Minister Modi launched a Global Biofuels Alliance. The United States urged all countries to include economy-wide targets covering all greenhouse gases in their Nationally Determined Contributions.

Transport corridor

Leaders of the United States, India, and Saudi Arabia among others announced plans to set up rail and ports links between the Middle East and South Asia and eventually to Europe which U.S. President Joe Biden said was a “real big deal.”

The project aims to counter China’s global push for the infrastructural lead through its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. However, there were no details about financing or a time frame for the project that involved laying down railway lines in the Middle East and then connecting them to India by port.

Indian Prime Minister Modi said, “Enhancing connectivity with all regions has been a key priority for India… We believe that connectivity is a means to not only increase mutual trade between different countries but also increase mutual trust.”

During the summit meetings, the leaders also announced the expansion of the Lobito Corridor connecting the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, and Angola, with support from the European Union and a focus on critical minerals, clean energy, digital access, agriculture, and economic diversification. U.S. President Biden called the Lobito Corridor “a game changing regional investment” and a huge step forward.

Brazil to host G20 2024

At the last hours of the summit, India formally handed over the presidency of Brazil, which is set to assume the presidency of the bloc and host the meeting in 2024. India Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed the transition by handing over the ceremonial gavel of the presidency to Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

India’s presidency of the G20 will end on December 31, 2023. Indian prime minister proposed a virtual summit in November to assess the status of the suggestions and proposals put forth by members and determine “how their progress can be accelerated”.

“In that session, we can review the topics decided during this summit,” Modi said, adding that details would be shared with members.

India passes the gavel to Brazil.

We have unwavering faith that they will lead with dedication, vision and will further global unity as well as prosperity.

India assures all possible cooperation to Brazil during their upcoming G20 Presidency. @LulaOficial pic.twitter.com/twaN577XZv

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 10, 2023