Group of Twenty i.e. G20 was formed in 1999 to act as a forum for international economic cooperation following the Asian financial crisis. It was a forum for finance ministers and central bank governors to discuss financial and economic issues.
The G20 includes 19 countries – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States – and the European Union. The grouping represents around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
The role of the Presidency is to bring together the G20 agenda for the development of the global economy, in consultation with other members. India was given the Presidency on December 1, 2022 and India will continue to hold the presidency till November 30, 2023.
How India got the G20 Presidency?
The G20 Presidency is shared among five groups of member countries. When it’s a group’s turn, any country from that group can take on the Presidency. These countries talk and decide who will lead the group during their turn.
The G20 Presidency decides the agenda for the year and hosts the summit too. It must be added that the presidency is supported by the ‘Troika’ – the previous, current, and upcoming Presidency. The upcoming Presidency is of Brazil.
India’s move to include Africa as permanent G20 member
During India’s time as the leader of the G20, one of the most significant diplomatic moves they made was pushing for the African Union (AU) to have a permanent seat at the table. This was a brave move because no one had changed the G20’s membership since it started, mainly because they were worried about arguments over who should join.
In January, shortly after India took over the G20 presidency, they organized a virtual summit called the Voice of Global South, in which many African countries participated. This was the first time a G20 president sought the opinions of so many countries outside the G20. India listened to these priorities and included them in its proposals when setting the G20’s agenda.
The African Union (AU) often gets invited to G20 summits. AU was created in 2002, replacing the Organisation of African Unity from 1963. The AU and New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) together represent 54 African countries that are part of the United Nations, making them the largest group of countries in the global south and the world as a whole. India has consistently supported bringing African voices to the international table from the time of the Bandung (Afro-Asian) Conference (1955), the nonaligned movement’s Belgrade conference (1961) and beyond.
India to make a change in G20
India decided to use its diplomatic power to make a change in the G20. Instead of spending it on trying to solve the Ukraine crisis, India thought it would be better to convince G20 members to let Africa join permanently. Along with South Africa, which is the only African country in the G20 so far, this would add more diversity from Africa to the G20.
Some people wonder why India didn’t announce the initiative to include Africa in the G20 during the Voice of Global South summit. Well, at that time, India was still figuring out how its presidency would go. The previous presidency, led by Indonesia, faced big challenges because of the Ukraine crisis and disagreements among major powers. They eventually found some common ground at the Bali summit, but things changed afterward.
India initially wanted to continue the Bali consensus, but it became clear during various meetings that Western countries wanted to talk about the Ukraine crisis and criticize Russia. Russia and China strongly opposed this. The situation in Ukraine had evolved since the Bali summit, and finding a compromise seemed nearly impossible unless things changed on the ground in Ukraine.
So, India decided to focus on the priorities of the global south in all G20 discussions and meetings, setting aside the Ukraine crisis. Africa also supported this approach because they felt their concerns were being overlooked due to the Ukraine crisis dominating the discussions. What seemed unworkable in January became possible in June.
Why India wants African Union to be a permanent G20 member?
India knows that changing the G20’s membership can create conflicts because many countries want a seat at the table. You might wonder why India is specifically pushing for the African Union (AU) and not other groups like ASEAN or CARICOM. Well, the reason is that the AU represents a lot more countries (54 to be exact) in the global south, similar to how the European Union is a big group. If you compare the numbers, there’s no contest between these organizations.
Some of the AU’s partners, like the US, China, EU, Russia, and others, support including the AU in the G20. But it’s not clear if all of them want this for the same reasons. India has started the diplomatic process, and now it’s waiting for everyone to agree on bringing the AU into the G20.
