On Wednesday, India joined Indonesia and Italy in the G20 Troika, which is made up of the previous, current, and incoming presidents of the G20.
The G20, of which India is a founding member, is a forum that enhances international economic cooperation. Its members include most of the world’s largest economies: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, Britain, the United States, and the European Union. In all, its members account for 80% of global GDP and 75% of international trade. The G20 summit is held each year by the country that holds the rotating presidency at that time.
Indonesia took over the group’s presidency on Tuesday, replacing Italy. Its presidency begins with organising the G20 Leaders’ Summit on December 30-31. The meeting will be conducted under the theme “Recover Together Recover Stronger.”
Indonesia has said that its three priorities for the G20 during its presidency are: global health, energy transition, and digital transformation. President Joko Widodo is reportedly focusing his efforts on increasing the country’s “role in international affairs” during its term and will host the global summit in Bali next year. Indonesia will then hand over the reins to India next December.
According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs press release, the G20 is based on a crucial recognition that “global prosperity is interdependent and our economic opportunities and challenges are interlinked.” The release also highlighted that India’s membership in the platform has been used to “raise issues of vital importance and those that impact the most vulnerable around the world.”
The last G20 Summit was held last month in Rome in the run-up to the COP26 conference. It saw the participation of several G20 leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Following the meet, members signed an agreement to combat global warming and climate change and vowed to take “meaningful and effective actions.”
However, several commentators criticised the agreement for failing to take concrete actions on the issue. The New York Times called it “largely symbolic,” quoting Jennifer Morgan, the executive director of Greenpeace International, who said the agreement was “weak” because it “lacked ambition and vision.” Similarly, Jörn Kalinski, a senior adviser at Oxfam, called the pact “muted, unambitious and lacking concrete plans.” Similar criticisms were laid at the feet of these countries following the climate agreement reached at the end of COP26.
The G20 has previously convened on several pressing issues of regional and international concern. In October, leaders met to discuss the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, following which they agreed to deploy humanitarian aid to the war-torn country. However, they expressly refused to recognise the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
India’s inauguration into the G20 Troika and taking up the group’s presidency will be a critical feature of its growing ambition to establish itself as a global power and reform multilateral institutions.