India’s G20 Presidency And Summit: A Milestone In Global Leadership And Influence

India, which assumed the G20 presidency on December 1, 2022, has successfully hosted the G20 summit in New Delhi on September 09-10, 2023. The summit was attended by the leaders of the world’s most powerful economies, as well as representatives from international organizations, civil society, and business sectors. The summit was hailed as a historic and landmark event that showcased India’s leadership and vision on global issues, as well as its achievements and aspirations as a rising power.

India’s G20 presidency and summit came at a critical time when the world was facing multiple challenges, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, economic recovery, digital transformation, and geopolitical tensions. India chose the theme of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth, One Family, One Future” for its presidency and summit, reflecting its commitment to multilateralism, inclusiveness, and sustainability.

India also set out three broad pillars for its presidency and summit: healing, harmony, and hope. Under these pillars, India aimed to address the health and humanitarian crisis caused by the pandemic, foster global cooperation and solidarity, promote balanced and resilient growth, enhance social justice and equity, and accelerate the transition to a green and digital economy.

India’s G20 presidency and summit achieved several concrete outcomes and deliverables that reflected India’s priorities and contributions to the global agenda. Some of the key outcomes and deliverables were:

1. The adoption of the ‘New Delhi Declaration’, which reaffirmed the G20’s commitment to work together to overcome the pandemic and its impacts, strengthen the multilateral system, support the most vulnerable countries and people, advance sustainable development goals, fight climate change, enhance digital cooperation, and promote peace and security.

2. The launch of the ‘G20 Action Plan on Covid-19’, which outlined a comprehensive and coordinated response to the pandemic, including enhancing global health preparedness and resilience, ensuring equitable access to vaccines and therapeutics, mobilizing financial resources and debt relief for developing countries, supporting trade and investment flows, and strengthening social protection systems.

3. The endorsement of the ‘G20 Framework for Strong, Sustainable, Balanced and Inclusive Growth’, which provided a roadmap for achieving a robust and resilient recovery from the crisis, based on structural reforms, fiscal sustainability, monetary policy coordination, financial stability, quality infrastructure investment, innovation and productivity enhancement, labor market inclusion, gender equality, and human capital development.

4. The announcement of the ‘G20 Initiative on Climate Change’, which aimed to enhance the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change, by raising ambition on mitigation, adaptation, and finance. The initiative also supported the development of low-carbon pathways.

5. The establishment of the G20 Digital Hub, which aimed to foster digital cooperation and innovation among the G20 members and partners, by facilitating the exchange of best practices, data, and standards, promoting digital inclusion and literacy, enhancing cybersecurity and data protection, and supporting the development of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and quantum computing.

6. The signing of the G20 Compact on Africa, which aimed to enhance the partnership between the G20 and Africa, by supporting the African Union’s Agenda 2063, boosting investment and trade, strengthening regional integration and connectivity, promoting human development and social welfare, and addressing the challenges of climate change, health, security, and migration.

India’s G20 presidency and summit also enabled it to strengthen its bilateral and multilateral relations with other G20 members and partners. India sought to deepen its strategic partnership with the United States, which shared its vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific and supported its bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. India also sought to enhance its cooperation with other like-minded democracies, such as Japan, Australia, France, Germany, and the UK.

India also sought to balance its relations with China and Russia, which were both important economic and strategic partners for India, but also posed challenges and threats to its interests and values. India tried to manage its border dispute with China, which flared up in 2020-21, while also pursuing trade and investment opportunities with it. India also tried to maintain its longstanding ties with Russia, which was a major supplier of defense equipment and energy to India, while also addressing its concerns over Russia’s involvement in Afghanistan and its alignment with China.

India’s G20 presidency and summit also gave it a platform to voice its concerns and aspirations on behalf of the developing world, especially Africa and other regions that were underrepresented in the G20. India advocated for more equitable access to vaccines, finance, technology, and markets for these countries. India also championed the reform of global institutions, such as the UN, the IMF, the World Bank, and the WTO, to make them more democratic and responsive to the needs of the 21st century.

India’s G20 presidency and summit has given New Delhi the weight and influence that India has rarely experienced in its contemporary history. It has enabled India to demonstrate its leadership and vision on global issues, as well as to advance its own interests and aspirations. It has also enabled India to strengthen its relations with other major powers and partners, while also balancing its interests and values. It has also enabled India to represent the voice of the developing world and push for a more inclusive and sustainable global order.