G20 leaders gather at Bharat Mandapam for landmark summit
India achieved a major diplomatic victory at the G20 Summit in New Delhi, securing unanimous consensus from all member nations to grant the African Union permanent membership in the bloc — the most significant expansion of the G20 since its inception in 1999.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his capacity as G20 President, announced the decision to a standing ovation from leaders gathered at the Bharat Mandapam convention centre. African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat embraced PM Modi in an emotional moment that became the defining image of the summit.
"Today, we write a new chapter in the history of multilateralism. The voice of 1.4 billion Africans now has a permanent seat at the table of the world's largest economies," PM Modi declared.
The Indian presidency had made this expansion a centrepiece of its G20 agenda under the theme "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" — the world is one family. Diplomatic sources say India worked "tirelessly" for months to bring sceptical nations, particularly some European members, on board.
The summit also produced a consensus declaration on debt relief for developing nations, a framework for regulating AI, and $100 billion commitment for clean energy transition in the Global South.
