On September 9th, the 18th meeting of the G20 occurred in New Delhi, India. The Group of Twenty (G20) summit is a forum to foster international cooperation through economic means between 19 countries and the European Union.
As India held the Presidency of the summit for a year (starting in December 2022), the most recent meeting was set for the first time in the country. All leaders of the G20 arrived in India for the summit, except for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Founded in 1999, the G20 summit was initially meant for Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to discuss financial and economic issues on the global spectrum. However, in 2008 this meeting was elevated to the Heads of State/Government.
The G20 summit is held annually in whatever country holds the Presidency. The next summit, the 2024 meeting, will be held by Brazil’s Presidency. Topics discussed primarily focus on macroeconomics, but also touch on trade, sustainable development, health, agriculture, energy, environment, climate change and anti-corruption.
The following countries are included in the G20 Summit: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Union is also included in the G20 summit. Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and the United Arab Emirates aren’t considered members of the summit but are invited nonetheless. The summit also includes various international organizations.
India listed six agenda priorities to discuss during the meeting.
Green Development, Climate Finance & LiFE
Accelerated, Inclusive & Resilient Growth
Accelerating progress on Sustainable Development Goals
Technological Transformation & Digital Public Infrastructure
Multilateral Institutions for the 21st Century
Women-led development
The war in Ukraine is also a topic of discussion, with members struggling to prepare a joint statement that condemns the actions of Russia. As Russia and China dispute blaming Russia for the war, countries such as Canada, France and the United States are only willing to sign a joint statement if there is a strong condemnation against Russia within the statement.
Prime Minister Modi of India also expressed a desire to focus on climate change, debt restructuring, the regulation of global cryptocurrencies and the impact of geopolitics on food and energy security.
It remains to be seen whether these numerous discussions will result in effective agreements.
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