NATIONS DEEPEN TIES AT G-20 SUMMIT; INDIAN AGENDA GETS THE CENTRE-STAGE

This week will be noted for the significant G-20 summit that was hosted by South Africa. Although Trump's absence from the summit did not greatly affect the proceedings, India distinguished itself with a comprehensive agenda focused on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the promotion of global peace and security. As the world observed the US’ absence from the G-20 this time, following Trump's declaration of a total boycott of the South African presidency and summit, the meeting took place under particularly challenging conditions. In this context, India, Brazil, representing Global South anda select group of leaders from the North, including France, Germany, and the UK, alongside the host South Africa, bore the responsibility of ensuring the summit’s success.

- 

It took the G20, a coalition of countries from both the Global North and South, a lengthy 17 years to convene a summit in Africa. South Africa, the sole African member, was bestowed with this honour, and the summit occurred merely two years after the African Union became its most recent member in 2023, during India’s presidency of the G-20. That's why the credit of democratization of G-20 goes to India. In the mid of the tumultuous global landscape, it was reassuring to witness the member nations uniting on the G-20 platform to deliberate ona wide array of issues, including trade, sustainable development, health, education, science and technology, agriculture, energy, environment, climate change, women-led development, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, and more.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced six new initiatives focused on global development during the G20 Summit in Johannesburg. These initiatives encompass the establishment ofa Global Traditional Knowledge Repository, the Africa Skills Multiplier program, a Global Healthcare Response Team, an initiative aimed at countering the drug-terror nexus, an open satellite data partnership, anda Critical Minerals Circularity initiative. His proposal also resonated well within the Johannesburg declaration.