Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Saturday that the African Union (AU) has officially become a member of the Group of 20 (G20), the world’s top global economies,TheCable reports.
Modi made the announcement, saying, “I invite the representative of the African Union to take their place as a permanent member of the G20.” He then signified this by striking his gavel three times, eliciting applause in the room.
Following the announcement, Modi warmly shook hands with Comoros President Azali Assoumani, who serves as the AU chair, and invited him to join the discussions at the table.
The G20 is an exclusive assembly of the most influential and substantial economies worldwide. Its member nations collectively account for 85 percent of global GDP, 75 percent of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population.
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This year’s G20 Summit is being held in New Delhi, India, marking the first time it has taken place in South Asia. Prominent world leaders in attendance include US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and French President Emmanuel Macron. The summit is scheduled to conclude on September 10.
Key topics of discussion at the summit include food security, debt relief for developing nations, and climate change.
Notably, the G20 meeting takes place amidst the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping chose not to attend, avoiding potential face-to-face dialogues with their American and European counterparts.
The G20 consists of 19 individual countries and the European Union. The member nations are the United States, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, and Turkey.
The G20 was established in 1999, following the global financial crisis of 1997-1998, and has convened annually since then. The G20 Leaders’ Summit has been held since 2008. The group plays a pivotal role in shaping and enhancing global governance and architecture concerning major international economic issues.
