NEW DELHI: Heads of state, government and other senior officials from the Group of 20 major economies and allied nations are in India’s capital New Delhi for the G20 leaders’ summit this weekend to seek solutions to the world’s shared challenges.
This year’s leaders’ summit is the biggest to date, drawing together large delegations from member states and a long list of guests representing the world’s emerging economies and multilateral organizations.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (2R seated) watches as France's President Emmanuel Macron (4L) arrives to attend a session of the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 9, 2023. (POOL / AFP)
Attendees include:
- Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez
- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang
- European Council President Charles Michel
- French President Emmanuel Macron
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
- Indonesian President Joko Widodo
- Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
- Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
- Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa
- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
- UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
- US President Joe Biden
(L-R) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Chairperson of the African Union Azali Assoumani, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, US President Joe Biden, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo and Spain's Deputy PM Nadia Calvino arrive for the opening session of the G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi on September 9, 2023. (POOL / AFP)
On Saturday, the African Union became a permanent member of the G20, only the second regional grouping to be admitted to the group following the EU, after a proposal put forward by Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister and host of the summit.
“In keeping with the sentiment of sabka saath (alongside everyone), India has proposed that the African Union should be given permanent membership of the G20,” Modi told delegates.
The announcement came at the start of the two-day G20 leaders’ summit amid cheers and applause as Azali Assoumani, chair of the AU and president of Comoros, was escorted to his seat among his fellow world leaders.
Several leaders and top officials from non-member states are also attending the summit as guests:
- Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
- Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte
- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi
- Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth
- Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
- Omani Deputy Prime Minister Asaad bin Tariq bin Taimur Al-Said
- Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
- Spanish First Vice President Nadia Calvino
- Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares
- UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L), British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden attend "Session II: One Family" at the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, on September 9, 2023. (REUTERS/Pool)
India assumed the G20 presidency on Dec. 1, 2022. More than 200 meetings were held across 60 cities across the country, attended by top government officials, ministers, engagement groups and emissaries, known as “sherpas” in G20 parlance.
The intergovernmental forum was founded in 1999 in the wake of the Asian financial crisis to bring together finance ministers from 19 nations plus the EU to address common issues related to the global economy.
Since 2008, the G20 leaders’ summit has been among the world’s most high-profile geopolitical assemblies.
Underlining the G20’s focus on the sustainable development of emerging economies in the coming years, the next troika will comprise India, the current chair, Brazil, the successor, and South Africa, the next in line.
