India is all set to host the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi beginning today. Many powerful and influential leaders have come together in New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit that will take place on September 9 and 10 at Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan.
US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Argentine President Alberto Fernandez, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva, Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth, among other world leaders, arrived on Friday in India for the G20 Summit.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, President of Nigeria Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and many other top leaders will also be a part of the G20 Summit in India.
It is for the first time that India is hosting the annual summit of the G20 and New Delhi has pulled out all the stops in rolling out a grand welcome to the leaders and making the summit a success. The city has also undergone a major makeover to host such a high-profile event in decades.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden held closed-door talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for nearly an hour.
"Happy to have welcomed @POTUS @JoeBiden to 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. Our meeting was very productive. We were able to discuss numerous topics which will further economic and people-to-people linkages between India and USA. The friendship between our nations will continue to play a great role in furthering global good," posted PM Modi on X (formerly Twitter) after their meeting.
PM Modi, ahead of the 18th G20 Summit, said that India was delighted to host the event at the Bharat Mandapam. New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in human-centric and inclusive development, he added.
PM Modi will hold over 15 bilateral meetings with world leaders between Friday and Sunday as India hosts the G20 summit meeting over the weekend.
The G20 member countries represent around 85 percent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
The grouping comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).
The G20 Summit is held annually, under the leadership of a rotating Presidency. The G20 initially focused largely on broad macroeconomic issues, but it has since expanded its agenda to inter-alia include trade, sustainable development, health, agriculture, energy, environment, climate change, and anti-corruption.
Musical journey of Bharat-Ensemble of 50-60 artists will play Indian music in front of guests. Three-course meal will be served. It will include a lot of millet dishes. Sweet dish is also included and in breads, Mumbai pao is also included.'
The declaration thanked India for hosting the G20 Summit 2023: "We thank India for successfully hosting the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi, for its warm welcome to delegates, and for its valuable contributions to the strengthening of the G20. We appreciate the successful conclusion of various G20 Working Groups and Ministerial meetings and welcome their outcomes as annexed. We also congratulate India on the successful landing on the moon on 23 August 2023."
The New Delhi Leaders Declaration states that the G20 commits to ending plastic pollution. "We are determined to end plastic pollution. In this context, we welcome the resolution UNEP/EA.5/Res.14 which established an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including the marine environment, with the ambition of completing its work by the end of 2024. We will also build on the G20 Marine Litter Action Plan as elucidated in the Osaka Blue Ocean Vision," it said.
The preamble of the G20 New Delhi Leaders' Declaration states: Today’s era must not be of war.
Sherpa Amitabh Katnt said that the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration focuses on strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth, accelerating progress on SDGs, green development pact for a sustainable future, multilateral institutions for the 21st century, and reinvigorating multilateralism.
After concluding the first session of the ongoing G20 summit in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with his British counterpart, Rishi Sunak. The two leaders exchanged a warm hug before sitting down for a brief discussion of India-UK ties.
PM Modi also held a bilateral meeting with Japanese PM Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. This is Kishida's second visit to India this year.
G20 delegates have reached a compromise on the language of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, said a report on Saturday.
G20 delegates are still discussing whether there would be a joint leaders' statement or a communique at the end of their two-day summit being held in New Delhi, reported Reuters quoting a source.
As PM Narendra Modi delivered his inaugural address to begin the G20 Summit in Delhi, the placard in front of him read 'Bharat' instead of India. Videos and photos widely shared on social media showed a placard displaying the name 'Bharat'.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder & Chairman, Bharti Enterprises said he's 'delighted' that at the G20 Summit in New Delhi African Union has been admitted as permanent member. Bharti Airtel has significant business in African countries.
"My hearty congratulations to PM Narendra Modi for successfully leading the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of the G20. As this announcement finds its way from New Delhi to the world, I am certain that this day will be remembered as a defining milestone towards charting more inclusive compositions across international organizations and their bodies.
"I have personally witnessed the Government’s uncompromising focus on this inclusion through my engagement as Chair of the B20 Action Council on African Economic Integration, and am delighted that the G20 formed a consensus on this necessary first step towards a more participative AU in the global order," said Mittal.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the G20 Summit in New Delhi on Saturday, the country's name was displayed as 'Bharat'. Photos and videos of the of the placard displaying 'Bharat' are going viral on social media.
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