Looking Back At India’s G20 Presidency

On 22 November 2023, India hosted a virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit, to which leaders of all G20 Members, including the Chair of the African Union, nine Guest countries, and Heads of 11 International Organisations, were invited.  With this, India passed on the G20 Presidency to Brazil.

In this article, I want to share my reflections on India’s impactful leadership from December 1, 2022, to December 1, 2023, of the G20 Presidency. The India G20 has been hailed as the most successful summit since the G20's inception in 2009, with India emerging as a formidable voice for the Global South. For me, its most significant achievement was including the African Union as a permanent member of the G20.

G20 member nations collectively represent 85% of the world’s GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the global population. Notably, from 2022 to 2025, the four emerging economies from the Global South—Indonesia, India, Brazil, and South Africa—took charge of the G20. This marks a historic moment as it is the first time in G20's history that leading Global South countries have had the repeated opportunity to shape a meaningful understanding of their development stories.

I have closely followed India’s G20 presidency from December 1, 2022, through 2023, both from our home in India and the UK. When sharing my enthusiasm about India's achievements during the G20 presidency with a friend who has retired from a development bank in Germany, I discovered that he had no idea due to limited coverage in the German press. This, I believe, may be true for many G20 countries.

India G20 Summit: 10th - 11th September 2023

India G20 Summit was held on the 10th and 11th of September 2023 in the newly minted Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. In attendance were forty-two world leaders, twenty national leaders, nine guest countries, and fourteen heads of global multilateral agencies, the highest turnout ever for any G20 event since the premier forum for international economic cooperation started in 2009.

People Driven G20

India had already given G20 a new meaning leading up to the summit. India created a new template for G20, going beyond closed-door meetings in the national capital. Throughout the year, over 12,000 delegates from across 111 countries participated in more than 300 G20 meetings hosted by India during its presidency. These events were critical in making the Indians aware of what G20 is and why it matters, and an opportunity for the world to see the full diversity of India. With this people-driven G20, India demystified and democratised the G20.

G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration

G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration found a way to reconcile the global geopolitical divide on Ukraine and address a range of priority issues, including ensuring growth, getting sustainable development goals (SDGs) back on track, battling the climate crisis, reforming the multilateral development banks (MBDs), spreading digital public infrastructure, generating jobs, and women-led development to bridge the gender gap. India delivered a consensus in the G20 Leaders’ Declaration, a considerable achievement given that several countries represented in the group are directly or indirectly at war with each other. India proved the sceptics wrong who had predicted the G20 Summit would fail to issue a joint statement, testimony to its strong network of relationships today and determination to marshal them to build meaningful consensus. You can read the full text of the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration here.

African Union as a permanent member of the G20

For me, the most significant achievement of the India G20 presidency is the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of the G20. Until this point, the world’s premier forum for international economic cooperation had only one African member – South Africa, a shocking underrepresentation of an entire continent. I had read somewhere that it was Macky Sall, President of Senegal, attending a G20 meeting in Bali in 2022 in his capacity as the Chair of the AU, who initiated discussions with PM Modi about the AU's membership. Despite seven years of advocacy by the AU for full membership, it took India's leadership to spearhead and correct this historical wrong.

Azali Assoumani, President of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union, spoke of the moment when PM Modi hugged him after formally inducting the African Union into G20.

“I was about to cry. It was a great emotion for me. Because actually, we thought there would be a debate and then a decision would be taken, but at the very beginning of the summit, it was announced that we were a member and invited to join the table,” he said.

The fact that it happened under India’s presidency is destined to be etched in history books. Africa is central to the pressing concerns outlined in the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration. These include vital issues such as food security, migration, climate financing requirements for the developing world to meet emission targets, adequate financing needed to achieve sustainable development goals, digital transformation, financial inclusion, and the reform of multilateral development banks (MDBs).

Africa: The Global Growth Hub

Granting the African Union membership in the G20 is a step that recognises the continent as a global power. Africa is the next global growth hub, and the African Union can represent a continent home to the world’s largest free trade area. It is rich in resources the world needs to combat climate change, to which Africa contributes the least but is affected by the most. The African continent has 60% of the world’s renewable energy assets and more than 30% of the minerals key to renewable and low-carbon technologies. DR Congo has vast cobalt deposits, a metal essential for lithium-ion batteries. Nigerian gas can power all of Europe.

But Africa has had little say at the global high table. It is this imbalance that the G20 inclusion of the African Union must look to address. In my experience working in Africa, empowering young African entrepreneurs with skills, mentoring and funding across 54 African countries, I have witnessed remarkable talent reimagining Africa, turning adversity into strength, loss into resolve, and challenges into opportunity. The young people of Africa are tired of watching outsiders take the continent’s resources for processing and profits elsewhere and want more industrial development to benefit them and their economies on the continent.  

As a high-profile member of the G20, Africa’s demands will be hard to ignore. To influence the G20 decision-making, the 54 African countries led by the African Union must speak with one voice as they did during the COVID-19 pandemic, uniting to buy supplies for the continent in bulk. With the inclusion of Africa in the G20, India has shown that it cares about Africa. In a following article, I will write about how this adds fresh momentum to India-Africa economic, social, political and cultural ties.

Advocating for Changes in International Institutions

India has used the G20 Presidency to actively influence discussions on Global South concerns, advocating for a reshaping of global institutions to align with contemporary realities, as seen in the case of the UN Security Council. The world has evolved significantly since the establishment of the UN, which initially had 51 founding members. Today, the UN encompasses nearly 200 countries. Despite this growth, the number of UNSC permanent members has remained unchanged. In the present era of transformative advancements in transport, communication, health, and education, a new global structure is imperative to reflect these realities accurately. The relevance of individuals and institutions is contingent on their ability to adapt to changing times.

Revitalising G20

India's G20 presidency has not only restored its relevance but has also fostered trust and optimism. No one had high expectations of G20; we all witnessed the bickering, politicking, and grandstanding during the COVID-19 pandemic and its failure to protect the global economy. People were asking what is the point of the G20. The Russia-Ukraine war had widened the lack of trust gap.

The success of India's approach highlighted the significance of the G20, showcasing its value in inviting guest countries from the Global South and advocating for the inclusion of the African Union. India's presidency demonstrated that the G20, led by the Global South, can challenge the existing broken world order. With an ambitious agenda that garnered global support, the world came together under India's leadership. This unity will lead to better deals for less developed countries in the Global South, emphasising a human-centric approach to global cooperation.

The world will remember India’s Presidency of G20 and her vision of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’. India is not looking for the outcomes to be filed away for future reference—ministries are tasked with following up and following through. As India passes on the G20 baton to Brazil, the G20 Leaders face a new challenge: the war in Israel-Palestine.

 Let me end with some quotes of praise for India's G20 2023 Presidency.

President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu: “Had the pleasure of engaging in a productive meeting with PM Modi… Looking forward to a prosperous partnership.”

Ajay Banga, World Bank President said, “India’s G20 presidency has set a path for the world.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, “A very successful summit with good results that went further than many had feared it wouldn’t beforehand.”

Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Mauritius: “India’s vision of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ is a beacon, which infuses hope for humanity…. With inclusivity, equity, and prosperity that touches all.”

Emmanuel Macron, President of France: “I thank PM Modi. Faithful to its principles, India did its utmost for the G20 presidency to serve unity and peace and send across the message of unity.”

About Parminder Vir OBE

Over a 40-year distinguished career, Parminder Vir OBE has passionately devoted her life to amplifying untold narratives and resourcing the skills and imagination of underserved communities. At the core of her mission lies an unshakable faith in the transformative potential of ideas and stories to ignite profound change. Her diverse expertise spans African entrepreneurship, an impressive portfolio as an award-winning film and television producer, and unwavering advocacy for the arts and culture.

Currently, Parminder Vir serves as the Executive Director of Wazima Health , lends her strategic insights as an Advisory Board Member of Mamamoni Limited and HelpMum Africa , and contributes as a Narrative Advisor at Mustard Venture Agency. She is also a director of ZIKORA Media & Arts African Cultural Heritage Initiative , an inspirational cultural institution for Africa.

In her prior role as CEO of the Tony Elumelu Foundation and Advisory Board Member, she masterminded and executed a comprehensive entrepreneurship programme, impacting over 10,000 African entrepreneurs across 54 African nations from 2014 to 2021. Her tireless commitment to championing entrepreneurship as the keystone for Africa's social and economic advancement continues to be a resounding call to action.