Dr. Arvind Kumar*
Under the theme of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ the G20 leaders met at a defining moment in history where the decisions made will determine the future of people and planet. It is with the philosophy of living in harmony with surrounding ecosystem that commitment to concrete actions were taken to address global challenges. Before the G20 summit opened in Delhi against the backdrop of the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine tensions, there were several concerns about the outcome of the event. But despite these concerns, India successfully hosted the summit with the presence of key international leaders, from U.S. President Joe Biden to Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who will host next year’s summit. After painstaking negotiations, the leaders of the world’s advanced and developing economies also reached a consensus on a joint declaration. India had embraced an inclusive governance approach to foster multilateralism and address the sustainable development priorities of the Global South. As the summit came to an end, it was clear that India’s objectives were not derailed, and three key themes emerged: consensus, inclusiveness and solutions. To serve as a vanguard on issues, the G20 meant to be decisive, adopted some hard decisions, and ensured the setting up of mechanisms to address these complex challenges that are clearly not amenable to one-step resolution.
To the credit of the G20, it has evolved from this early characterization to now having representation from some smaller special invitee countries each year, as well as participation of a large number of international organisations. Further, adding to its depth, it has also established working groups of transnational actors of the G20 countries such as the B20 (business), C20 (civil society), L20 (labour), W20 (women), Y20 (the youth), T20 (think tanks) and S20 (science) who provide inputs on a variety of issues to the leaders.
But what are the key takeaways from more than 200 meetings? Is there any pragmatic or concrete way forward?
Inclusive and Conclusive
The G20 leading economies began the weekend’s proceedings by welcoming the African Union the newest member of a bloc that already represented 85 percent of the world’s GDP. This weekend was portrayed as India’s diplomatic coming of age and country’s presidency as an opportunity to give a voice to the needs of the Global South. Consensus was forged on an important issue to create a framework on the development and use of “digital public infrastructure” (DPI), the interoperable digital building blocks, such as payments and identification systems, that facilitate digital services and other online economic activity. In addition to the DPI framework, G20 ministers also agreed to new principles to help businesses prepare for and respond to cyber threats, and to a roadmap to make it easier to measure digital skills across countries by, for example, using the same terminology and metrics.
There was a recognition of the impacts of climate change and the need to accelerate action on it, with leaders referencing the need to limit warming to 1.5°C by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by 2030 relative to the 2019 levels. Notably, for the first time leaders agreed to triple renewable energy capacity globally by 2030, but through existing targets and policies. They also indicated the need to ‘phase-down’ the use of coal power, noticeably not a ‘phase-out’. On both issues the leaders stopped short of setting goals or laying out plans or pathways to achievement. Additionally, the use of language around coal was a continuation of previous statements, which is unlikely to see a significant shift at the COP28 Summit starting this November in the United Arab Emirates. The major announcement from the UK at the G20 was its commitment to climate aid with the UK set to provide $2 billion to the Green Climate Fund, a global fund committed to combating climate change. It was announced in a bid to ‘cement’ the UK’s global climate leadership.
On the sidelines of the Summit, IMEC was announced – a ship-to-rail transit network – by leaders of the United States (US), India and Saudi Arabia. This marks a change in US-Saudi relations, as well as an ambitious counter to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. This modern-day ‘Spice Route’ would connect India, the Middle East and Europe by laying down railway lines and investing in ports, starting in the Middle East and South Asia before Europe.
Way forward
The New Delhi Declaration would not have been possible had it not been for the support India received from Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa. These countries also represent the reality that the global South is not a monolith and each has its own ambitions on the global stage. Indonesia held the 2022 G20 presidency, and using its ASEAN presidency, has taken the lead to resolve the failure in Myanmar. An aspirant for a permanent seat in the United Nations like India, Brazil has taken a neutral stance over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He has called for diplomatic efforts in the form of a “peace club” of neutral nations to broker an end to the war. The entry of the African Union is seen as one of the most significant outcomes of the Delhi summit. India takes credit for backing the membership of the Union which is a grouping of all 55 African countries, which have a combined GDP of $2.99 trillion. The membership, sought by the AU for seven years, was welcomed by Senegal President Macky Sall, the previous AU chair who helped to push for membership. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s decision to stay away from the summit, and downgrade China’s participation to the level of Premier Li Qiang, was a sign that despite the bonhomie of the consensus at the Delhi Declaration, the world’s geopolitical divide remains.
Despite insurmountable geopolitical divisions on Ukraine, a consensus was reached. The value of this deftly crafted consensus increases manifold because all previous ministerial-level G20 summits including this year’s foreign ministers and finance ministers meetings, had failed to produce one. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, with this momentous announcement coming on the first day of the summit and struck the right notes with both the delegates and the keen global strategic community. A feather in the cap of India’s stellar diplomatic efficiency under PM Modi and his team, the Delhi Declaration will be a textbook example of what diplomacy truly means in the times to come.
*Editor, Focus Global Reporter
