Is the G-20 a success for global cooperation? (GS Paper 2, International Organisation)
Why in news?
- The G-20, comprising 19 countries and the European Union, released the New Delhi declaration at the end of the summit in New Delhi.
- While India took presidency of the G-20 with what seemed to be insurmountable odds, a global economic crisis spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine conflict in its second year with more entrenched positions between the Western alliance and the Russia-China combine, as well as growing geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific, its biggest challenge has been ensuring a moment of truce that would allow for a joint communique to be agreed upon at the summit.
What are the takeaways from the summit?
- The big takeaway is the New Delhi Declaration that forged a consensus between the G-20 nations, bitterly divided between the G7-EU and Russia-China, on the issue of Ukraine.
- The final language is a shift from the ‘Bali Paragraphs’, with language critical of Russia erased, on a firm proposal from G-20 hosts of past and future years; Indonesia, India, Brazil and South Africa.
- The final 83-paragraph declaration, with eight paragraphs on “geopolitical issues”, on which consensus was reached included language on everything from climate action, financing, and fossil fuel phaseout, to debt restructuring, the biofuel alliance, health, digital infrastructure, regulating crypto currency and other issues.
- Bringing the African Union into the G-20 fold will be credited to India, and future summits in Brazil and South Africa are likely to take India’s Global South initiative forward.
- On the sidelines of the summit, all eyes are on the possibility of reviving the Black Sea Grain Initiative for Russia and Ukraine, which found a mention in the G-20 declaration, as also the multi-billion mega infrastructure project from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to Europe, quarter backed by the U.S. and India.
What does the G-20 mean for India?
- In the days leading up to the G-20 summit in India, international commentators referred to this as “India’s moment” on the international stage. The term is interesting, as since 2008, the G-20 has been held in different countries by rotation, without it being seen as a transformational moment for the host country.
- One of the reasons for this is the unprecedented effort New Delhi has put into hosting the G-20, which it postponed twice, in 2021 and 2022, in order to ensure its preparations were in place.
- The G-20 in Delhi has also made its mark in terms of the Indian initiative to bring on board the “Voice of the Global South”, ensuring that more than 125 countries of the developing world raised their concerns at a “feeder conference” in January 2023, that were included in the declaration.
- Inducting the African Union at the summit, a proposal by the grouping of 55 African countries, is also a feather in India’s cap.
- The move helps tilt the balance within the G-20 away from the Power-11 of geopolitical powers, the G-7 (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S.), U.S. allies Australia and South Korea, the European Union and the Russia and China combine to the Developing-10 (Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey and the African Union), who make up the rest of the members.
- Finally, the moment is significant for India because of the government’s push to popularise and “democratise” the G-20 within India, inviting about 1,00,000 delegates from over 125 countries to about 200 meetings in more than 60 Indian cities to partake in the event.
Is the absence of Russian and Chinese Presidents a miss?
- While President Vladimir Putin, dealing with the Ukraine conflict, made it clear some time ago that he would not attend, as he hasn’t since 2021.
- Many ascribe Mr. Xi’s decision not to come, although he has attended every other G-20 Summit since 2013 in person or virtually, to the spiralling state of India-China bilateral relations, with the military standoff at the Line of Actual Control continuing.
- While not having two important members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) P-5 at the summit is disappointing for New Delhi, the absence of the leaders has made for a less fractious summit, and eventually the outcome document language was seen as a win for both Russia and China as well.
