India passes G20 gavel to Brazil

PM Narendra Modi hands over to Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva the presidency of G20 on Sunday. Pic/PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday handed over the customary gavel of the G20 chair to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and proposed a virtual summit by November to take stock of initiatives taken during the Indian Presidency. Brazil will formally assume the G20 Presidency on December 1 this year. Modi proposed a virtual G20 Summit by November end at the leaders' summit that concluded here on Sunday.

Modi also made a strong pitch for expansion of the UN Security Council and reforms in all global institutions, asserting that they should reflect the world's "new realities" as it is nature's law that those who don't change with times, lose relevance. "In the past two days, you have put forward your views, given suggestions and a number of proposals have been put forward. It is our responsibility that the suggestions that have come forth are closely looked upon as to how they can be speeded up," Modi said.

"It is my proposal that we hold another session of the G20 virtually in November-end. In that session, we can review the issues that have been agreed upon during this summit. Our teams will share the details of it with all of you. I hope all of you will join this (session)," he said. "With this, I declare the G20 summit as closed," Modi said. He cited a Sanskrit shloka to pray for hope and peace in the entire world. Speaking at the ‘One Future' session during the G20 Summit, Modi made a fresh push for reforms in global institutions, including the United Nations.

"In order to take the world towards a better future, it is necessary that the global systems are according to the present realities. Today, the ‘United Nations Security Council' is also an example of this. When the UN was established, the world was completely different from what it is today. At that time there were 51 founding members in the UN. Today the number of countries included in the UN is around 200," Modi said.

"Despite this, the number of permanent members in the UNSC remains the same. The world has since changed a lot in every aspect. Be it transport, communication, health and education, every sector has been transformed. These new realities should reflect in our new global structure," he said.

The UNSC has five permanent members - the US, China, France, Britain and Russia. Pitching for reforms, he said that is why a historic initiative was made on Saturday by making the African Union a member of the G20. "Similarly, we also need to expand the mandate of multilateral development banks. Our decisions in this direction should be immediate and effective," he said. The next Summit will be held in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024.

India's message of peace and unity to world: Macron

As G20 President, India did its best to send across a message of unity and peace to the world while Russia was still waging its aggression against Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday. On Indo-French defence ties, Macron, without giving specific details, said additional contracts and procurements will follow in months and years to come.

G21 in Brazil?

The idea of the African Union (AU) joining the G20 was put forth at a meeting of representatives from G20 countries. They agreed on it, but it won't happen right away. It will become official during the 19th G20 Summit in Brazil. The AU with 55 member states, is the second regional bloc to become a permanent member of the G20, after the European Union. However, there is no declaration so far on the name of the summit changing to G21. Several African leaders have welcomed the decision to admit the AU as its 21st member.

‘A breakthrough summit in many ways'

Russia on Sunday said the G20 Summit under India's presidency was a "breakthrough" conclave in many ways as its outcomes showed a path to the world to move forward on a range of challenges and demonstrated the strength and importance of the Global South. In a press briefing, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said India played an important role in "preventing the West" from taking forward their approach on many issues, including Ukraine. "It is a breakthrough summit in many ways. It provides us a way forward to move ahead in many issues," he added.

20
No of G20 members before the inclusion of the African Union

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