New Delhi to Host G20 Summit in September
The G20 Summit, under India’s presidency, is scheduled to take place between 9-10 September at the newly-built Bharat Mandapam convention centre in Delhi’s Pragati Maidan. The G20 world leaders’ summit is expected to be one of the largest gatherings of world leaders in India.
The 18th G20 Leaders’ Summit will serve as the culmination of a year-long series of meetings and processes involving ministers, senior officials, and civil society.
The theme of this year’s G20 is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or One Earth, One Family, One Future. With a focus on sustainability and environmental preservation, India’s goal has been to emphasise the value of all human, animal, and plant life.
The two-days is the culmination of many meetings and conferences throughout the year. Speaking about India’s presidency, PM Modi said “we did not confine G20 to just one city or one place. We took the G20 meetings to more than 50 cities in the country. We showcased India’s diversity through this. We showed the world what is India’s cultural power, what is India’s heritage.”
The G20 Summit will see leaders from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, UK, US and the European Union.
US President Joe Biden is also scheduled to visit India for the G20 summit where he will engage in discussions with other world leaders on various global issues. Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, British PM Rishi Sunak, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are among the leaders expected to attend the summit.
However, Russia has announced that its President, Vladimir Putin, will not be attending the G20 Leaders’ stating that Putin’s primary focus at the moment is on the ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine. Earlier, the Russian President decided against attending the first in-person BRICS summit held in Bali in 2020. One of the reasons cited for his absence at the BRICS summit was the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued over alleged war crimes in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
But since, India is not a signatory of the International Criminal Court (ICC), President Putin would not have been arrested on his arrival in India. However, the reported death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash seems to be one of the reasons for Putin to avoid the summit as there is a lot Putin needs to handle on the home turf.
The G20 summit is likely to be attended by 29 heads of State as well as top European Union (EU) officials and invited guest countries and 14 heads of international organisations. A G20 Leaders’ Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the New Delhi Summit.
India has also extended invitations to representatives from nine “guest countries” — Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates — to participate in the summit.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also declared that all public, private, and schools in the city will be closed from 8 to 10 September.
