Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Johannesburg, South Africa for the 20th G20 Leaders’ Summit from November 21 to 23. This year, the summit is being hosted by the Republic of South Africa. It is the first time that the G20 summit is hosted by an African country.
Modi, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), will address all three sessions of the summit to present India’s perspective on the G20 agenda.
“The Prime Minister will also attend the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Leaders’ Meeting hosted by South Africa,” the MEA said in a press release.
What are the three sessions on? What is the G20 2025 theme?
The three sessions scheduled for the G20 summit in Johannesburg will take place:
i. Inclusive and sustainable economic growth that leaves no one behind: Building our economies; the role of trade; development financing and debt burden.
ii. A Resilient World – G20 Contribution: Disaster Risk Reduction; Climate change; Only energy transitions; Food systems.
iii. A fair and just future for all: critical minerals; Decent work; Artificial intelligence.
The G20 2025 theme is “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”.
This will be the fourth consecutive G20 summit to be hosted by a national of the Global South.
The 2022 summit was held in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, in 2023 in New Delhi, India, and in 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Which are the G20 countries?
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, Great Britain and the United States and two regional bodies, namely the European Union and the African Union.
The US boycotted the summit
The summit comes amid tensions between the United States and South Africa. Washington, which boycotted the summit, warned Pretoria against issuing a joint statement, according to a Bloomberg report.
This May, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was publicly reprimanded by US President Donald Trump at the White House when the latter falsely accused him of genocide against white Africans as well as land expropriation.
A spokesman for South Africa’s foreign ministry told Bloomberg: “Washington’s absence negates its role over the G20 conclusions,” adding: “We cannot allow coercion of absences to become a viable tactic. It is a recipe for institutional paralysis and the collapse of collective action.”
