Overcoming skepticism, G20 Summit reaches high consensus

Overcome doubt

Before the G20 Summit opened in New Delhi, host country India received bad news: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend the most important event of the year for this group of leading developed and emerging countries. Because the G20 is a gathering of rich industrialized countries and emerging developing partners, representing the rest of the world, the absence of two influential representatives, Russia and China, has made many people skeptical that the G20 Summit could become a "Western stage", a place for the West to impose its views on the Ukraine conflict, thereby hindering the ability to reach consensus on major issues that the host country has put on the agenda.

But with the view that “the G20 is not a forum to address geopolitical or security issues, and leaders need to realize that they can make significant outcomes for the global economy,” host India has coordinated discussions at the G20 Summit focusing on two issues – the debt crisis and climate change – which are considered less thorny to find consensus on. These are also the two biggest issues facing the world, especially in developing countries in the post-Covid-19 pandemic period as well as the aftermath of the Ukraine conflict. On the debt crisis, India supports the efforts of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank (WB) and the US to promote the Common Framework (CF) – a G20 initiative launched in 2020 to help poor countries defer debt payments; later expanded to include middle-income countries. Meanwhile, climate change is an increasingly urgent global issue and is being promoted by India during its 2023 chairmanship, as some 3.6 billion people in the world are currently living in climate-vulnerable situations.

Avoiding thorny topics directly related to the Ukraine conflict may have been India’s way of pushing for a Joint Statement, but the fact that it was reached at the end of the first working day was still considered a surprise success. The most notable feature of the Statement was that all 83 paragraphs of the document were adopted unanimously with 100% consensus among all 21 members. For the first time in G20 history, the leaders’ statement did not include footnotes or a Chairman’s Summary. In addition, the Statement was said to be the most ambitious, with 112 outcomes including outcomes and attachments, two and a half times more than any previous G20 Summit. In addition, the announcement of very new agreements was the launch of the Global Biofuels Alliance initiated by the Government of India and the launch of the India-Middle East-Europe rail and transport corridor by India, the US, Saudi Arabia and the European Union. Of which, the Biofuels Alliance is considered a turning point in India's efforts towards sustainability and clean energy, focusing on strengthening the market, facilitating global biofuel trade.

India's new position

Before the Summit, the G20 ministerial meetings held in the first months of 2023 also encountered many difficulties in agreeing on a joint statement due to different views on the Ukraine conflict. Before arriving in India to attend the G20 Summit, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, leading the Russian delegation, also warned that he would block the joint statement of the conference if it did not include Russia's views on the Ukraine conflict. This is just one of the signs showing the difficulties that will prevent the G20 from finding a common consensus. Therefore, the fact that the G20 Summit issued a Joint Statement on the first working day shows the great efforts in coordinating the discussion content of the host country, India. That is also the goal that India is aiming for, which is to build the image of an emerging power with global prestige.

To achieve this goal, India has devoted a lot of effort to the bloc's agenda this year. Right from the beginning of its tenure, India chose the theme of the G20 2023 as "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" in Sanskrit, meaning "The World is One Family", and this theme was once again reflected at the G20 Summit, especially when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the participation of the African Union (AU) as a full member of the bloc, considering the Global South as an indispensable part of the journey towards sustainable, inclusive and people-centered development. The G20 Summit was considered an unexpected success, marking the most important event during India's G20 Presidency. As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has noted, India has done a lot of work, and India's G20 Presidency has become a symbol of inclusion both at home and abroad.

The recent G20 Summit and its role as the bloc’s chairman in 2023 have helped India elevate its image and status. Now, India has positioned itself as a rising pole in the world’s multipolar chessboard. India has clearly expressed its stance of not taking sides in geopolitical tensions but is proactively engaging with major powers to establish its own position, while contributing to world peace and progress, and helping to solve challenges. With its activities within the framework of the G20 Presidency, India has demonstrated its ability to coordinate and reconcile differences in interests among members. On the other hand, India has demonstrated its leadership capacity with the ability to dialogue and connect developing and underdeveloped countries in the so-called Global South. It is no coincidence that India was able to lobby for the G20 to include the African Union (AU) as the bloc’s 21st member. India's ambition is to bring together the aspirations and concerns of developing countries to put on the agenda. For Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally, the G20 Summit is also an opportunity for him to build his image as an influential leader on global issues. Portraying India as a power will have a strong impact on domestic public opinion - those who are eager to witness the country's strong transformation, thereby creating a huge advantage for Mr. Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the election next year./.