G20 Summit 2023 Delhi Live Updates: Canadian Prime Minister’s plane suffers technical snag

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold a working lunch meeting with President Emmanuel Macron of France on Sunday.

Macron arrived in New Delhi a day ago to attend the two-day-long G20 Summit hosted by India under its Presidency.

Macron is due to hold bilateral meetings over the two-day summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva among others.

This is Rishi Sunak's first visit to India as Prime Minister since he assumed the office of Prime Minister of the UK in October last year.

He had said that he has “enormous respect” for PM Modi and that he is keen to support him in making the G20 an enormous success.

Ahead of the UK Prime Minister's visit, elaborate security arrangements were put in place in and around the temple.

In a landmark achievement for India's G20 presidency, the African Union (AU) got a permanent seat at the G20 high table with PM Narendra Modi announcing it in his opening remarks at the leaders’ summit. Foreign minister S Jaishankar escorted AU chair and Comoros President Azali Assoumani to his seat after Modi brought the ceremonial gavel down to invite AU to the premier forum for global economic cooperation. PM Modi also embraced Assoumani before guiding him to his seat. Amid the gloom of Ukraine war, and its restraining effects on India's G20 presidency, PM Modi had written to all G20 leaders in June seeking a permanent membership for the 55-member continental group which is home to some of the fastest growing economies in the world and has a combined GDP of $ 2.4 trillion. "It was in the spirit of 'Sabka Saath' that India proposed permanent membership for the African Union in the G20. I believe that we all agree on this proposal," said PM Modi, as he invited the AU chair.

The spirit of compromise that the US spoke of entering into the G20 summit seemed to have prevailed with the West agreeing to a compromise language on Ukraine that focused more on the social consequences of the war than any effort to hold Russia accountable for its actions in Ukraine. The unanimously adopted New Delhi Leaders' Declaration didn't just drop words from the 2022 Bali Declaration referring to the condemnation of Russian 'aggression' against Ukraine but avoided any mention of Russia, except in the context of efforts to revive the Black Sea Grain Initiative that Moscow has abandoned. The consensus on Ukraine came completely against the run of play with the G7/EU and Russia-China combine having taken maximalist positions on the war in the G20 Sherpa talks that lasted for weeks.

Leaders of India, Brazil, South Africa and the United States met on the margins of the G20 summit to reaffirm their shared commitment to the grouping as the premier forum for international economic cooperation to deliver solutions for “our shared world”. “As the G20’s current and next three presidencies, we will build on the historic progress of India’s G20 Presidency to address global challenges. In this spirit, together with the World Bank President, we welcome the G20’s commitment to build better, bigger, and more effective multilateral development banks,” said the four countries in a joint statement.

India on Saturday scripted history and stamped its authority on the global stage, securing a consensus on more than 100 issues on the agenda, including the most contentious one, the Russia-Ukraine war, as G20 leaders adopted the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration. "United in consensus and spirit, we pledge to work collaboratively for a better, more prosperous and harmonious future. My gratitude to all fellow G20 members for their support and cooperation," PM Modi said in a post after the 34-page declaration was adopted following what India's sherpa Amitabh Kant said were "tense, ruthless negotiations" for over 200 hours. PM Modi's assertion that "this is not the era of war", which was echoed by the Bali Declaration, was part of this declaration as well.

Amid the delay in concluding the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), PM Narendra Modi and his counterpart Rishi Sunak Saturday had a “productive conversation’’ in a bilateral meeting about the ongoing talks with the latter reiterating the UK’s ambition to deliver a “landmark trade deal’’ which benefits businesses and workers in both countries and grows bilateral trade in both goods and services. Sunak is on his first visit to India as PM after taking office in October 2022. The Indian government said in a statement that both leaders reviewed the progress of FTA negotiations and expressed hope that the remaining issues could be addressed at the earliest so that a balanced, mutually beneficial and forward-looking Free Trade Agreement is concluded soon.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood at Bharat Mandapam on Saturday morning to receive the G20 leaders and other dignitaries, a replica of the Konark Wheel at Odisha’s Sun Temple provided the backdrop, showcasing India’s cultural heritage. When US President Joe Biden walked up to the handshake point, Modi was seen explaining the significance of the Konark Wheel to him. The replica had the G20 logo on one side and the theme of India’s presidency of the grouping – Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: One Earth. One Family. One Future – on the other. In his opening remarks at the Leaders’ Summit, the PM invoked the 3rd century BCE Ashokan pillar, better known as the Delhi-Topra Pillar at Kotla Firoz Shah, to double down on the message that the world is one family. He drew on the Brahmi inscriptions of the sandstone pillar, which say that welfare and happiness of humanity should always be ensured.

On Saturday morning, TV viewers were greeted with majestic views of the G20 summit venue, the conch-shaped Bharat Mandapam, as public broadcaster Doordarshan brought the event alive for a global audience through the use of cameras using Ultra High Definition (UHD)/4K broadcasttechnology. This is the first time for a mega event, a Indian broadcaster is using this state-of-the-art technology with Doordarshan deploying 80 UHD / 4 K cameras at locations across all venues connected to the G20 summit ranging from air ports, Raj Ghat, the media press centre, studios in Hall 4 of ITPO etc. This includes 30 UHD/ 4K cameras at Bharat Mandapam itself and three cameras on Jimmy Jibs. For the culminating leadership summit on Saturday and Sunday Doordarshan has also set up two studios at the venue for interviews of dignitaries.

Union home minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the G20 leaders’s declaration marked a significant step towards a better future for all. “My warmest congratulations to PM Narendra Modi and the member nations of the G20 on the adoption of the New Delhi G20 Leaders' Summit Declaration,” Shah said in a post on X. The home minister said, “In pursuit of our civilisational goal of promoting the welfare of humankind, the esteemed G20 leaders have arrived at a consensus to build bridges of trust among nations through diplomacy and cooperation.”

As India successfully wraps up day one of the G20 Summit on Saturday under its Presidency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the G20 stands resolute in its mission to deliver for global good. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, PM Modi wrote, "Under the collective commitment of its members, the G20 stands resolute in its mission to deliver for global good." Meanwhile, the summit took an interesting turn when PM Modi along with World Bank President Ajay Banga, Brazil President Lula da Silva, President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, and US President Joe Biden, posed for a group picture. Notably, the first day of the G20 Summit remained full of heavy engagements for the world leaders in New Delhi.

Handshake-and-hug diplomacy. But with subtle variations. Prime Minister Modi personally greeted every head of state/government and other top invitees at the G20 Summit. There were 38 guests, and Modi spent 1 hour 10 minutes receiving each of them. He was the gracious host as he welcomed them, but the warmest hugs and the broadest smiles were for US President Joe Biden, British PM Rishi Sunak, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni.Guests made their way to the conference hall inside the newly-built Bharat Mandapam, passing through a corridor decked out with G20 nations’ and organisations’ flags. Modi received the guests in a special area, where the striking feature was a Konark Wheel. The wheel received special attention when Biden, with whom Modi spent the most time, almost a full minute, arrived. The PM, walking hand in hand with the President, was seen explaining the wheel’s significance.

G20 leaders on Saturday announced their resolve to take collective action to accelerate progress on meeting sustainable development goals (SDGs), a collection of 17 global targets aimed at improving the planet and quality of human life by 2030. The goals include improved sanitation, reducing under-five mortality, neo-natal mortality, teenage sexual violence, anaemia in pregnant as well as nonpregnant women, and wasting and overweight, among others. According to the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration, released on Saturday after deliberations by the heads of states, the global progress on SDGs is off track with only 12% of the targets on their way to be met.

At the spirited commencement of the G20 Summit in the national capital on Saturday, Bangladesh foreign minister, Abdul Momen, credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership for the adoption of the New Delhi Leaders' Summit Declaration on the opening day of the event. Abdul Momen said that it was because of his dynamism and personal charisma that everybody agreed to the declaration at the G20 Summit. "It is because of the leadership of PM Modi there is an agreement for the declaration and it is because of his dynamism and personal charisma that everybody agreed to the declaration ... There was a lot of doubt whether there will be any declaration, but I must thank the Indian leadership that did an excellent job," the Bangladesh foreign minister told ANI in an exclusive interview.

Buoyed by the recent success of India’s historic Chandrayaan-3 landing on the lunar south pole, PM Narendra Modi, at the G20 Summit on Saturday, proposed to launch a G20 satellite mission for environment and climate observation, with an aim to help the countries of the Global South. The PM made the suggestion for the satellite programme in the presence of world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, UK PM Rishi Sunak and South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa. "You are all familiar with the success of India's Moon Mission, Chandrayaan. The data obtained from it will be beneficial for all of humanity. With the same spirit, India is proposing the launch of the 'G20 Satellite Mission for Environment and Climate Observation’,” PM Modi said in his G20 Summit Session 1 remark as released by the ministry of external affairs. “The climate and weather data obtained from this will be shared with all the countries, especially the countries of the Global South. India invites all G20 countries to join this initiative,” he said.

Japanese PM Fumio Kishida has explained the release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant to the sea to the G20 leaders who gathered in New Delhi for a two-day summit on Saturday, an official with Japan's foreign ministry said. Japan started releasing treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean last month, and faced harsh criticism from China which immediately banned all seafood imports from Japan. Japan says the water release is safe, noting that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also concluded that the impact it would have on people and the environment was "negligible." At a G20 session on Saturday, Kishida addressed leaders of the Group of 20, including US President Joe Biden, British PM Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman, on issues ranging from the global economy to food security and the water release. (Reuters)

India’s G20 presidency has walked the talk, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday, noting that India’s concerns of Global South and emphasis on human-centric globalisation have found a resonance and recognition. "We assumed the presidency at a challenging time of geo-political tensions ...Today I can confidently state that the Indian G20 presidency has walked the talk,” she said at a joint press conference after the G20 declaration was adopted on the first day of two-day summit. In the declaration, the G20 countries said they re-emphasise the importance of addressing debt vulnerabilities in low and middleincome countries in an effective, comprehensive and systematic manner.

In a landmark achievement for India's G20 presidency, the African Union (AU) got a permanent seat at the G20 high table with PM Narendra Modi announcing it in his opening remarks at the leaders’ summit. Foreign minister S Jaishankar escorted AU chair and Comoros President Azali Assoumani to his seat after Modi brought the ceremonial gavel down to invite AU to the premier forum for global economic cooperation. PM Modi also embraced Assoumani before guiding him to his seat. Amid the gloom of Ukraine war, and its restraining effects on India's G20 presidency, PM Modi had written to all G20 leaders in June seeking a permanent membership for the 55-member continental group which is home to some of the fastest growing economies in the world and has a combined GDP of $ 2.4 trillion.