Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that there has been a consensus on New Delhi G20 Leaders' Summit Declaration and the same has been adopted, amid questions over whether a consensus would be arrived at. "I want to announce that there has been a consensus on New Delhi G20 Leaders' Summit Declaration. I announce that this declaration has been adopted," PM Modi said.
A unanimous declaration is seen as a minimum requirement for considering the summit a success. Ahead of the summit, there were concerns on whether a unanimous declaration will be arrived at, amid sharp differences between the West and Russia-China combine. The G20 operates under the principle of consensus and any divergent view by any one member country can create hurdles.
Shortly after PM Modi's announcement, G 20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said that the New Delhi Leaders Declaration focuses on - strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth, accelerating progress on SDGs, multilateral institutions for the 21st Century and reinvigorating multilateralism.
Until now, almost all key meetings held under India's G20 presidency including those of finance and foreign ministers, could not come out with consensus documents in view of opposition from Russia and China to any text referring to the Ukraine conflict.
However, on Saturday, PM Modi announced the adoption of New Delhi G20 Leadership Declaration. "There is good news, with everyone's cooperation consensus has been reached on New Delhi G20 Leadership Declaration," he said, thanking G20 sherpas, ministers and all officials for working hard to make joint declaration possible.
Following G20 leaders' repeated deliberations on pressing global challenges on the first day of the annual summit of the bloc, a new paragraph was circulated relating to the Ukraine conflict, which is expected to be revealed at the end of the two-day long summit.
