The first day of the big G20 Summit in New Delhi on September 9, witnessed key developments being made including admitting African Union as a new member of the bloc, the adoption of G20 New Delhi Leaders' Declaration, and signficant decisions arriving out of bilateral meetings held with various global leaders.
Asserting that the Ukraine war has deepened the trust deficit globally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India appeals to the entire world to turn it into confidence in each other. The prime minister further told the gathering that it had become a people's G20 in India with over 200 events held in more than 60 cities.
Key takeaways from day 1
African Union joins G20: In his opening remarks, PM Narendra Modi proposed to bring the African Union within the key bloc of G20, in an attempt to maximise representation of the Global South. India has been reiterating its stance of granting full membership to the African Union since June this year when PM Modi wrote to the leaders of the G20 nations. After approval from all countries, the 55-nation union joined the G20 grouping on Saturday.
New Delhi Declaration adopted: The main question that loomed over the G20 Summit was whether a consensus would be arrived at amid sharp differences between the West and Russia-China combine, especially with regards to the war in Ukraine. Marking a signficant victory for India and its G20 presidency, Prime Minister Modi announced the adoption of G20 New Delhi Leaders' Declaration on Saturday. The 34-page declaration reiterated Modi's stand on the Ukraine War that this is not the era of war and that hostilities must end. It also called upon member countries to condemn terrorism and to peacefully resolve conflicts through diplomacy and open dialogue.
India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor: PM Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden co-chaired the launch of the ambitious inter-continental connectivity project that includes a railway network in the Middle East and shipping ports to connect India with Europe via the Middle East. It is expected to be I the most direct connection to date between India, the Arabian Gulf and Europe. The project is also being seen as a rival to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) of China which has been criticised for plunging countries into debt traps.
Launch of Global Biofuel Alliance announced: PM Modi also announced the launch of the Global Biofuels Alliance with a plea to take ethanol blending with petrol globally to 20 per cent. Besides India, the initiating members include Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Italy, Mauritius, South Africa, the UAE and the US, while Canada and Singapore are observer countries. Climate change was in fact, a key topic of discussions on day one of the summit.
PM Modi holds bilateral meetings: PM Modi held three bilateral meetings with Prime Ministers of UK Rishi Sunak, Giorgia Meloni of Italy, and Fumio Kishida of Japan on Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 summit. A range of subjects were discussed in each of the meetings including defence, security,, technology, trade and more.
