In News:

The 20th G20 Summit (2025) concluded in Johannesburg, South Africa, marking the first G20 Leaders’ Summit hosted on African soil. Despite a U.S. boycott, members adopted the Johannesburg Leaders’ Declaration, foregrounding Global South priorities under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.”

What is the G20?

• Nature: Premier forum for international economic cooperation.
• Members: 19 countries + European Union and African Union.
• Share: ~85% of global GDP, 75%+ of world trade, ~two-thirds of global population.
• Evolution:
  • 1999: Formed after the Asian Financial Crisis (FM & CB Governors).
  • 2008–09: Elevated to Leaders’ level post Global Financial Crisis.
• Structure: No permanent secretariat; rotating presidency with a Troika (past–present–incoming).

Johannesburg Leaders’ Declaration

• Multilateralism & Ubuntu: Emphasised the African philosophy of Ubuntu (“I am because you are”)—shared responsibility and interconnectedness.
• Climate Action: Scale climate finance (“billions to trillions”), prioritise adaptation, renewables, and just transitions under the Paris Agreement.
• Debt & Finance Reform: Launched a Cost of Capital Commission to reduce unfair risk premiums; spotlight on Africa’s ~USD 1.8 trillion debt burden.
• UNSC Reform: Support for expanding representation for Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.
• Terrorism: Unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all forms.
• Gender & Youth:
  • 25% gender parity in labour force participation by 2030.
  • Nelson Mandela Bay Target: Reduce NEET rate by 5% by 2030.
• Energy Access: Mission 300-electricity for 300 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030.
• Critical Minerals: Welcomed a G20 framework for sustainable value chains and local beneficiation.

Key Outcomes & Initiatives

• Declaration Adopted despite U.S. boycott-underscored resilience of multilateral consensus.
• ACITI Partnership: Australia–Canada–India cooperation on critical technologies, AI, supply chains, clean energy.
• Developing Countries’ Focus: Debt restructuring, affordable finance, resilience for vulnerable economies.

India’s Role & Proposals

• Growth Vision: Human-centric, equitable, sustainable development (Integral Humanism).
• Global South Push:
  • Africa Skills Multiplier: Train 1 million certified trainers over 10 years.
  • Global Traditional Knowledge Repository.
  • Open Satellite Data Partnership (agriculture, fisheries, disasters).
• Security: G20 Drug–Terror Nexus Initiative (incl. synthetic drugs like fentanyl).
• Critical Minerals: Circularity Initiative (recycling, urban mining).
• AI Governance: Global compact-human oversight, safety-by-design, transparency; invited to AI Impact Summit 2026 (India).

Troika (2025–26)

• Past: Brazil | Current: South Africa | Incoming: United States