India preps for G20 Summit in Delhi: Here’s what’s on agenda

New Delhi: As the national capital gets ready to host the 18th G20 Summit today with global leaders in presence, it is very important to look at what it holds in its agenda.

The summit is being attended by more than 30 heads of state and top officials from the European Union and invited guest countries and 14 heads of international organisations.

India is hosting the G20 Leader’s Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam on September 9-10.

The Summit would commence with the arrival of the world leaders at the venue (Bharat Mandapam) from 9.30 am onwards.

At around 10.30, the first session of the G20 Summit: ‘One Earth’ will take place. One Earth will be one of the main topics of discussion during the session at the G20 leaders’ summit. This session will focus on accelerating climate action through increased mitigation and strengthening the agenda of global net zero emission as soon as possible.

Notably, the theme of this year’s G20 Summit, which is taking place under India’s presidency, is “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth · One Family · One Future”, – which is drawn from the ancient Sanskrit text of the Maha Upanishad. Essentially, the theme affirms the value of all life – human, animal, plant, and microorganisms – and their interconnectedness on the planet Earth and in the wider universe.

After the conclusion of the ‘One Earth’ session, and followed by lunch, another session of ‘One Family’ would be conducted at 3.00 p.m. as a part of the Summit.

At around 7:00 pm in the evening hours, the dinner hosted by the President of India, Draupadi Murmu, will take place.

G20 Delhi Summit Day 1 Schedule 🌍🇮🇳

🕤 9:30 am: Arrival of world leaders
🕥 10:30 am: Session 1 – “One Earth”
🍽️ Lunch Break
🕒 3:00 pm: Session 2 – “One Family”
🕖 7:00 pm: Dinner hosted by the President

Exciting discussions and diplomacy ahead! 🤝🍽️ #G20Summit #G20India2023… pic.twitter.com/uNmFLQqYzy

— Paras Chawla (@chawla_paras) September 9, 2023

Besides the foreign delegates, parliamentarians and ministers in the current Cabinet, the G20 Summit dinner will be attended by some of the former senior leaders of the nation.

US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are among the key leaders who are going to attend the event in the country’s capital city.

Notably, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be taking part in the weekend summit. China, however, will be represented at the summit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will represent Russia.

This is the first time that the G20 Summit is being hosted by India. Extensive preparations have been underway to portray India’s tradition and strength.

India aims to achieve the twin objectives of adding the African Union as a member of G20 and resolving disagreements about a joint statement related to the war in Ukraine at the Summit.

During the presidency, India has focused on various issues like inclusive growth, digital innovation, climate resilience, and equitable global health access. By leveraging its presidency, India is fostering collaborative solutions that benefit its own population and contribute to the broader global well-being.

The countries taking part in the G20 Summit include Nigeria, Argentina, Italy, the AU (represented by Comros), and South Africa. Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, Egypt, Australia, the United States, Canada, China, the U.A.E, Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey, Spain, Germany, France, Mauritius, the European Union and Singapore.

A warm welcome was accorded to leaders who arrived in Delhi for the G20 Summit, which begins on Saturday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing confidence that the gathering of world leaders will chart a new path in human-centric and inclusive development.

The leaders who reached the national capital include US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Argentina President Alberto Fernandez and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The leaders were welcomed by traditional dance performances.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also reached India. He had hosted the BRICS summit last month.

Other leaders who arrived in the national capital include Chinese Premiere Li Qiang, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Oman Deputy Prime Minister Asaad bin Tariq bin Taimur, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Egypt President El-Sisi, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

African Union Chairperson Azali Assoumani, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Argentina President Alberto Angel Fernandez, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Secretary-General, Mathias Cormann, World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also reached Delhi.