The African Union has officially taken its seat as a new member of the G20, following an invitation from the host of the summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The move was celebrated on Saturday as leaders and dignitaries gathered for the G20 Summit in New Delhi.
Among the early arrivals were prominent figures such as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director and Chairman Kristalina Georgieva, and World Trade Organization (WTO) Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Ahead of the summit, India’s sherpa, Amitabh Kant, announced that the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration of the G20 was nearly finalized and would soon be presented to the leaders in attendance to secure consensus. Kant expressed that the declaration, often referred to as a joint communique, would represent the voices of the global south and developing countries.
Earlier in the week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral talk with Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, resulting in the signing of three memoranda of understanding (MoUs), one of which focused on cooperation in Digital Payment mechanisms.
Adding to the global significance of the summit, US President Joe Biden arrived in India to participate in the G20 Summit chaired by Prime Minister Modi. President Biden, accompanied by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, held a closed-door meeting with PM Modi shortly after his arrival.
The Quad, a strategic forum composed of India, the US, Japan, and Australia, has been actively working on practical cooperation to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific, particularly in response to China’s growing military presence in the region.
The 18th G20 Summit is taking place at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre in New Delhi on September 9th and 10th. The summit will conclude with the adoption of a Leaders’ Declaration, highlighting the key outcomes and agreements reached during the event.