India’s key priorities, such as the campaign against terrorism and bolstering financing for addressing the climate crisis, and measures to address the concerns of the Global South found resonance in the declaration adopted at the G20 Summit in South Africa despite opposition from the US, which is boycotting the gathering.
Several outcomes in the “G20 South Africa Summit: Leaders’ Declaration” built on initiatives taken up by India during its presidency of the G20 in 2023, including a renewed focus on the issues of the Global South. The declaration was unanimously adopted at the start of talks in Johannesburg, unlike the usual practice of being adopted at the end of the summit.
India and the other members used the first G20 Summit to be held in Africa to put the issues and problems of impoverished countries at the top of the agenda. The declaration, using language opposed by the US, “can’t be renegotiated”, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson said.
With India pushing for renewed international efforts to combat terrorism since the Pahalgam terror attack of April, the G20 declaration condemned “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”. People familiar with the matter said this was a key outcome from India’s point of view.
Another significant outcome was the use of more ambitious language in the declaration on climate finance. In addition to acknowledging the need to scale up climate finance from billions to trillions of dollars to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, the declaration highlighted that developing countries will need almost $5.9 trillion to implement their nationally determined contributions for the pre-2030 period.
{{/usCountry}}Another significant outcome was the use of more ambitious language in the declaration on climate finance. In addition to acknowledging the need to scale up climate finance from billions to trillions of dollars to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, the declaration highlighted that developing countries will need almost $5.9 trillion to implement their nationally determined contributions for the pre-2030 period.
{{/usCountry}}The declaration emphasised the need to align relevant financial flows in keeping with these objectives while simultaneously scaling up finance, capacity building and technology transfer on “voluntary and mutually agreed terms, taking into account the priorities and needs of developing countries”.
Within the scope of the global climate crisis, the South African presidency priorities the strengthening of disaster resilience and response. The outcomes of the disaster risk reduction working group, initiated by the Indian presidency, were reinforced in the G20 declaration, which also recognised the role of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), which is jointly led by India and France.
In the realm of technology, the declaration highlighted the transformative potential of digital public infrastructure, a field in which India is acknowledged as a world leader, and the commitments at the G20 Summit in New Delhi to harness the potential of digital and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, was reiterated. Ahead of the AI Impact Summit to be hosted by India in February 2026, the declaration reiterated the need for development, deployment and use of safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence.
There was also a push for strong language on the empowerment of women and girls, and in this context, women-led development – one of the key outcomes of India’s G20 presidency – has been encouraged by the declaration. The Deccan High-Level Principles on Food Security and Nutrition too were reinforced in the context of food security, including the “progressive realisation of the right to food in the context of national food security”.
India also called to reform the United Nations Security Council in order to improve representation within the key global body and align it with the realities and demands of the 21st century, while making it more representative, inclusive, efficient, effective, democratic and accountable. The declaration said this will allow better responsibility-sharing among members, while improving the transparency of its working methods. An enlarged Security Council should include “underrepresented and unrepresented” regions such as Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, the declaration said.