India achieved a breakthrough on Saturday after reaching consensus on the New Delhi Leaders’ Summit Declaration among the member countries during the G20 Summit. The news was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the first day of the summit.

“Due to the hard work of our teams and the cooperation of all of you, the New Delhi G20 Leaders’ Summit Declaration has gained consensus. I propose that we should adopt this Leaders’ Declaration. I declare to adopt this Declaration,” the PM said. He further added, “On this occasion, I would like to thank our ministers, sherpas, and all officials who made this possible with their hard work.”

The consensus has been reached after intense negotiations of over 150 hours as negotiators from G20 countries worked out language on the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

According to India’s G20 Sherpa, Shri Amitabh Kant, in his briefing, highlighted the key features of the declaration, which are:

Strong, Sustainable, Balanced, and Inclusive Growth
Accelerating Progress on Sustainable Development Goals
Green Development Pact for a Sustainable Future
Multilateral Institutions for the 21st Century
Reinvigorating Multilateralism

The adoption of the declaration demonstrates India’s commitment to emphasizing development concerns at the G20 rather than letting geopolitical issues dominate the agenda. In reality, the statement will contain strong language on the economic situation and the need to closely monitor events due to a substantial downturn in economic activity in Europe and China.

-Anushka Upadhyay