The biggest gathering of leaders across the world in India may be over. But there is an afterparty in November. Passing the Presidency to Brazil, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed a virtual G20 summit in November.
“In the last two days, you have put forward your views, given suggestions and a number of proposals have been put forward. It is our responsibility that the suggestions that have come forth are closely looked upon as to how they can be speeded up," Modi said.
This virtual summit—after the Leaders Summit—is very much a Modi-addition to established G20 norms. And, like with everything in the Indian G20 Presidency—which chose to interpret the mandate in this big bustling all-Bharat event where meetings were held across the country—this suggestion, too, seems to have found support.
At a press briefing in the Capital, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that it “will be a reality check on how current decisions are implemented”. The Indian Presidency, he said, was a milestone. “India has truly consolidated G20 members from the Global South,’’ he said.
The New Delhi Declaration and the consensus that India managed to arrive at, especially in polarized times, is very much a testimony of the kind of sway India seems to now command. It is very much the coming of age of the Global South. The future of the G20, too, lies in the emerging markets. With Brazil taking over, and South Africa next, the shift is clear. And more than geography, it also changes conversation and agenda.
“We need peace and cooperation instead of conflict,” said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
While the consensus still holds, in the cold light of day, the closing day offered a glimpse into just how charged the issue is. Lavrov may have commended India’s efforts to not allow Ukraine dominate the agenda, but French President Emmanuel Macron at a press conference said the G20 declaration was not a diplomatic win for Russia.
“This G20 confirms once again the isolation of Russia. Today, an overwhelming majority of G20 members condemn the war in Ukraine and its impact," Macron told a press conference after the closing ceremony of the summit.
It was a fiercely fought declaration. It took 20 days in the making before the summit began and then five days of intense negotiations on the ground. Judging by the comments that have been aired at press conferences post the declaration, it is commendable that everyone signed off on the same page. Especially, as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida put it "Russia's invasion of Ukraine is something that could shake the foundation of cooperation at G20."
