Modi lists African Union inclusion as Key India’s G20 Achievements

MOSCOW, November 30 (Sputnik) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday summed up the achievements of India’s G20 presidency, saying that the inclusion of the African Union in the group’s membership and the holding of two Global South summits were the main outcomes of the country’s year-long chairmanship.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1, 2022. Brazil will take over the rotating G20 chairmanship on December 1. The G20 leaders held an in-person summit in early September, followed by a virtual meeting in mid-November, under India’s presidency.

“Today marks 365 days since India assumed the G20 Presidency … The inclusion of the African Union (AU) as a permanent member of the G20 integrated 55 African nations into the forum, expanding it to encompass 80% of the global population … The first-of-its-kind ‘Voice of the Global South Summit,’ convened by India in two editions, heralded a new dawn of multilateralism. India mainstreamed the Global South’s concerns in international discourse and has ushered in an era where developing countries take their rightful place in shaping the global narrative,” Modi wrote in an article published on his website.

Modi said India had ensured that “international attention was directed to broader developmental aims, aligning with G20’s mandate.” Under India’s presidency, the G20 has reached out to 1.4 billion citizens, engaging all states and Union Territories as partners through people’s participation events dubbed Jan Bhagidari.

“Assuming the G20 Chair, India sought to offer the world an alternative to status quo, a shift from a GDP-centric to human-centric progress. India aimed to remind the world of what unites us, rather than what divides us. Finally, the global conversation had to evolve – the interests of the few had to give way to the aspirations of the many. This required a fundamental reform of multilateralism as we knew it,” the Indian prime minister also said.

Modi stressed that India’s G20 chairmanship also “revitalized multilateralism, amplified the voice of the Global South, championed development,” and fought for women’s empowerment.

“As we hand over the G20 Presidency to Brazil, we do so with the conviction that the our collective steps for people, planet, peace, and prosperity, will resonate for years to come,” Modi added.

The Group of Twenty (G20) is a platform for international economic cooperation, which plays an important role in shaping and strengthening the architecture and governance of all major international economic issues.