New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed for the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Friday, where he will discuss key issues related to India and the Global South. Hosted by South Africa, the summit will be held from November 21 to 23, 2025. This summit is notable for being the first G20 meeting held on the African continent.
This summit is the fourth consecutive G20 meeting hosted by the Global South. Previously, Indonesia, India, and Brazil held the summit. Before South Africa, the G20 presidency was held by Brazil (2024), India (2023), and Indonesia (2022). According to reports, PM Modi is attending the summit at the invitation of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Before attending the summit, which will be held from November 21st to 23rd, PM Modi stated that the summit, the first G20 summit to be held in the African continent, would be an important milestone. This will be PM Modi’s fourth official visit to South Africa, following his bilateral visit in 2016 and two BRICS summits in 2018 and 2023.
New initiatives agreed upon
According to Sudhakar Dalela, Secretary (ER) of the Ministry of External Affairs, the G20 is an important forum, where in the last session, countries agreed to make consensus declarations, launch pilot projects, and take new initiatives on a number of issues impacting the Global South. Sudhakar Dalela further stated that we are very pleased that these discussions have progressed under the Brazilian presidency, and, of course, in South Africa, under the four verticals outlined by South Africa for its presidency. Throughout the year, many achievements have been made across various tracks in these areas. Therefore, we are very pleased that issues important to the Global South are being discussed and highlighted.
This Year’s Theme
The G20 comprises major economies that account for 85 percent of global GDP and 75 percent of international trade. The Forum has identified priority areas under South Africa’s presidency theme of “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.” He noted that India and South Africa are democracies and their cooperation has three pillars, one of which is political cooperation. The African Union, which became a permanent member of the G20 during India’s 2023 presidency, will play a key role in shaping the summit’s agenda.
