In a significant breakthrough, the G20 member states have successfully adopted a consensus leaders’ declaration during the New Delhi G20 Summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made this announcement on Saturday, following prolonged negotiations that had been held up due to a reference to the Ukraine crisis within the outcome document.
Prime Minister Modi’s Announcement
Addressing the summit’s second session, Prime Minister Modi conveyed the news, saying, “Friends, we have just received good news. With the hard work of our teams and the cooperation of you all, there is now a consensus on the New Delhi G20 Summit Leaders Declaration.” Speaking in Hindi, he continued, “I announce that this declaration is adopted,” and concluded by passionately banging the gavel thrice, eliciting loud applause from fellow G20 leaders. He also expressed his gratitude, saying, “On this occasion, I convey my heartfelt thanks to ministers, sherpas, and all officials who worked hard to make this possible and they are worthy of being praised.”
Resolution of Contentious Issues
Details regarding how consensus was reached on the leaders’ declaration, particularly the contentious paragraph related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, were not immediately available. Notably, the Ukraine crisis reference had been a major sticking point, causing delays in joint statements during India’s presidency.
Finance Minister’s Acknowledgment
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took to X (formerly Twitter) to express her appreciation, saying, “@PMOIndia @narendramodi’s emphasis on human-centric globalization and our concerns of #GlobalSouth have found resonance and recognition. Thanking all G20 members for their cooperation and support.”
Efforts to Break the Impasse
The breakthrough came after the Indian delegation circulated new text among G20 states, aiming to address the Ukraine crisis in the draft leaders’ declaration and break the impasse on this critical issue. A draft of the declaration, previously agreed upon by most G20 states, had left the paragraph concerning the “geopolitical situation” or the Ukraine crisis blank, as reported by sources from G20 and G7 member states.
Progress on Other Fronts
While negotiators wrestled with the Ukraine issue, they did manage to reach agreements on 75 other paragraphs in the draft declaration. These encompassed various topics, including financing for climate transition, multilateral development bank reforms, and cryptocurrency regulation.
Challenging Negotiations
Throughout the discussions, the Ukraine crisis remained a challenging and pivotal issue, with sherpas, the personal representatives of G20 leaders, struggling to find common ground despite several sessions held on September 6th, following the fourth and final sherpas’ meeting in Manesar. The protracted discussions underscored the gravity of the matter and its impact on the consensus-building process at the G20 Summit.
G20 Outcomes
There have been total 112 outcomes from G20 Summit that is one of the biggest in outcome G20 summits. G20 has successfully came with a Joint Agreement. G20 has initiated and maintained talks on different topics some of them are highlighted below:
- G20 focused on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- G20 launched India Middle East Europe Corridor promoting economic integration.
- African Union has been integrated in G20 meeting.
- Many world Leaders from World BankPresident of European Commission; Mathias Cormann, Secretary General of OECD; Minister of Economy, Raquel Buenrostro Sánchez of Mexico; Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Mauritius; European Council President Charles Michel.