G20 summit – live: Modi announces adoption of joint communique after Ukraine statement agreed

India’s Narendra Modi says world leaders have agreed to adopt a joint “New Delhi Declaration” after only the first day of talks at the G20 summit in the capital.

Countries attending the summit had been expected to struggle to agree a joint statement given their deep divisions over the war in Ukraine, which saw Russia’s Vladimir Putin skip the event altogether.

Earlier, India invited the president of the African Union to take up a chair as a permanent member of the G20 in a historic expansion of the bloc.

Hosting this weekend’s leaders’ summit in Delhi, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi used his opening remarks to invite up the president of the AU, which represents 55 African nations, and said there was consensus among existing members to approve the move.

Delegates applauded as Comoros president Azali Assoumani stepped up to join the round table, where an extra microphone and a place tag reading “African Union” were hastily added, and was warmly hugged by Mr Modi.

This morning Rishi Sunak and other world leaders arrived at the New Delhi venue for the start of the G20 summit, and were greeted by Mr Modi on the red carpet.

Key Points

• G20 expands as leaders agree to grant full membership to Africa Union

• Rishi Sunak arrives at summit venue to warm Modi welcome

• Modi begins speech by paying tribute to Morocco

• G20 schedule for first day: ‘One Earth, One Family'

• G20 expansion ‘a very significant development’, says South Africa

G20 on food security amid cancellation of Black Sea grain deal

13:15 , Anuj Pant

The G20 called on both Russia and Ukraine “to ensure immediate and unimpeded deliveries of grain, foodstuffs, and fertilizers/inputs”.

The summit’s declaration document also said there should be a “cessation of military destruction or other attacks on relevant infrastructure” while saying that there remains “potential for high levels of volatility in food and energy markets”.

G20 declaration on climate crisis notes need for “$5.8-5.9 tln in pre-2030 period for developing countries'

13:00 , Anuj Pant

The G20 declaration has emphasised on the need for climate finance for developing nations to the tune of $5.8-5.9 trillion, among other declarations.

The bloc also pledged to pursue and encourage efforts to triple renewable energy capacity globally through existing targets and policies, in line with national circumstances by 2030.

It also stressed on the need to facilitate low-cost financing for developing countries to support their transition to low carbon/emissions.

The bloc also talked of phasing down unabated coal power, in line with national circumstances.

Rishi Sunak raises case of detained Briton Jagtar Singh Johal with Modi

12:36 , Anuj Pant

Rishi Sunak said he raised the case of detained Briton Jagtar Singh Johal during his meeting with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking to broadcasters at the G20 summit venue in New Delhi, Mr Sunak said: “Yes, I was able to, alongside a range of other consular issues that prime minister Modi and I discussed in the time that we had.

“And also the Foreign Office are continuing to provide support to Mr Johal’s family and will continue to do so.”

All paragraphs in G20 declaration have full backing from all bloc members, top India official says

12:32 , Shweta Sharma

All the 83 paragraphs mentioned in the G20 declaration have the full backing of all its members, including China and Russia, a top official in the India delegation has said.

The G20 declaration came out shortly on the first day of the two-day summit that is being hosted in India, and that has seen the participation of several world leaders, including Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak.

Amitabh Kant, a top official in the G20 delegation for host country India, said China and Russia, whose heads of state skipped the summit this year, did not give any footnotes for the declaration. He said there was consensus from all the countries on the entire declaration.

G20 call for ‘full, timely and effective implementation' of Black Sea grain deal

11:59 , Adam Withnall

India has published the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration in full.

All eyes will turn first to the section on Ukraine – which was left blank in a recent draft version.

It says that “concerning the war in Ukraine, while recalling the discussion in Bali, we reiterated our national positions and resolutions adopted at the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly...

“We highlighted the human suffering and negative added impacts of the war in Ukraine with regard to global food and energy security, supply chains, macro-financial stability, inflation and growth, which has complicated the policy environment for countries, especially developing and least developed countries which are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic disruption which has derailed progress towards the SDGs.

“There were different views and assessments of the situation.”

The text also calls for the “full, timely and effective implementation” of a deal to export Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, thanking Turkey and the UN for brokering the agreement.

Modi uses ‘Bharat’ not India for G20 nameplate amid name change row

11:26 , Shweta Sharma

Modi declares G20 leaders have reached a consensus on ‘New Delhi Declaration'

11:16 , Shweta Sharma

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi says G20 leaders have reached a consensus on the “New Delhi Declaration” after just the first day of talks in India.

Mr Modi said an agreement took shape following the hard work of sherpas and delegations.

“Friends I have good news. With the hard work of our team, a consensus on the New Delhi Declaration has been reached,” he announced.

“My proposal is the declaration should be adopted,” he said, followed by: “I announce the adoption of this declaration.”

The development comes amid bitter divisions over Russia’s war in Ukraine that analysts expected would leave countries struggling to issue a joint statement.

We are yet to see the details of what’s in the declaration, but if a joint statement is confirmed it would be the first of any of the G20 meetings so far under India’s presidency.

G20 expansion ‘a very significant development’, says South Africa

11:08 , Shweta Sharma

The addition of the AU to the G20 will mean the first expansion of the bloc since it was formed in response to an Asian financial crisis in 1999, founded with its current composition of the world’s 19 largest economies as well as the European Union.

Speaking to The Independent at the summit venue in Delhi, South African government spokesperson Vincent Magwenya hailed it as “a very significant development... one that we had been advocating for for quite some time”.

“The G20 is the premier platform for international economic cooperation, and it was never sustainable that you were excluding a continent of more than 1.4 billion people. Africa is an integral part of the global economy.”

The AU’s invitation to join as a permanent member had been expected, with India trailing it as one of its key goals for a summit where it wanted to establish itself as the leading voice of the Global South.

Mr Magwenya said the AU had stepped up its push for membership at last year’s summt in Indonesia but that “we owe [this development] to India’s leadership”. “It has finally happened,” he said. “We are grateful to PM Modi.”

You can read more on this here:​

G20 to become G21 as world leaders agree to grant African Union permanent membership

Biden, Modi and EU to announce rail and shipping project linking India to Middle East and Europe

09:26 , Shweta Sharma

President Joe Biden and his allies today were to outline plans for a rail and shipping corridor that would connect India with the Middle East and ultimately Europe — a possible game changer for global trade to be announced at the Group of 20 summit.

The project would include the United States, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the European Union and other countries in the G20, said Jon Finer, Mr Biden’s principal deputy national security adviser.

Mr Biden, Indian PM Narendra Modi and European commission president Ursula von der Leyen plan to announce the project as part of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment.

The rail and shipping corridor would enable greater trade among the countries, including energy products. It could also be one of the more ambitious counters to China’s massive infrastructure program, through which it has sought to connect more of the world to that country’s economy.Mr Finer laid out three big rationales for the project. He said first that the corridor would increase prosperity among the countries involved by increasing the flow of energy and digital communications.

Second, the project would help address the lack of infrastructure needed for growth in lower- and middle-income nations. And third, Mr Finer said it could help “turn the temperature down” on “turbulence and insecurity” coming out of the Middle East.“We see this as having a high appeal to the countries involved, and also globally, because it is transparent, because it is a high standard, because it is not coercive,” Mr Finer said.

AP

India’s G20 likely to end with ‘Delhi Declaration’ as delegates reach consensus - report

08:48 , Shweta Sharma

Delegates from the world’s 20 most powerful economies reached a compromise on the language over the Ukraine war, a source said, as India pushes ahead with efforts to conclude the summit with a joint statement.

The sherpas, or country representatives, have reached a compromise on the language to be used in the final communique, which will be presented to the leaders, the source with knowledge of the negotiations told Reuters.

Prime minister Narendra Modi opened the summit by addressing the issue of deep divisions among the world due to the war and called on the leaders to end a “global trust deficit”.

“Today, as the president of the G20, India calls upon the entire world to first convert this global trust deficit into one trust and one confidence,” he said. “It is time for all of us to move together.”

You read our analysis on the possibilities of India forging a consensus here.

After Brics, G20 expands as leaders agree to grant full membership to Africa Union

08:10 , Shweta Sharma

In a historic moment for the G20 and a win for India, the Africa Union was announced as a member of the group of the world’s largest economies.

Hosting this weekend’s leaders’ summit in Delhi, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi used his opening remarks to invite up the president of the AU, which represents 55 African nations, and said there was consensus among existing members to approve the move.

Modi, who is looking to position himself as leader of the Global South, invited the chair of the African Union, Azali Assoumani, to take a seat at the table of G20 leaders as a permanent member.

Mr Assoumani was escorted by Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar and Mr Modi rose to hug him amid a round of applause by the G20 members.

The inclusion of the AU will mean a huge expansion of the bloc which currently comprises 19 countries and the European Union.

It is set to give the AU similar status as the EU, the only regional bloc with full membership currently.

The decision came as a victory for Africa which has long complained of having only a single representative — South Africa — from one of the biggest continents and keeping the fast-growing region out of the global decision-making.

It comes after Brics members last month agreed to include six new countries in their disparate grouping of developing nations.

ActionAid UK calls on G20 summit to scale up climate funding

07:54 , Shweta Sharma

A charity that works with women and girls living in poverty called on world leaders attending the G20 summit in New Delhi this weekend to urgently scale up funding to support the world’s most climate-vulnerable communities, and effectively regulate a banking sector that is continuing to profit from the climate breakdown.

ActionAid UK said the summit should not only honour previous climate finance commitments they have reneged on, but radically scale up the funding needed to adapt to climate change.

“As major powers meet against a backdrop of record-breaking temperatures and after a year of extreme weather events, the stakes couldn’t be any higher,” said Dr Halima Begum, chief executive of ActionAid UU.

The summit comes as the host nation faced intense flooding and landslides in Shimla in the north, and after an intense monsoon and cyclone season that battered the subcontinent.

Moment when Rishi Sunak and Narendra Modi hugged

07:30 , Shweta Sharma

The Indian prime minister and his British counterpart did not stop at a regular handshake. Narendra Modi and Rishi Sunak greeted each other with first a handshake, then a namaste and finally a hug as the host leader welcomed Britain’s first prime minister of Indian heritage on the G20 red carpet.

Mr Sunak is set to hold bilateral meetings with several leaders, including Mr Modi, Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong and Mauritian leader Pravind Jugnauth on the fringes of the summit.

Analysis: Will China spoil India’s moment in the international limelight at G20 summit?

07:12 , Shweta Sharma

With the G20 now under way this morning in New Delhi, there are concerns that Xi Jinping’s China could use this opportunity to get back at India, a country with which it is engaged in an active border dispute.

Xi missing the G20 leaders’ summit of the world’s largest economies on 9 and 10 September for the first time in his more than a decade in power will definitely not go unnoticed by world leaders.

Even during the pandemic, the Chinese president attended the G20 hosted by Italy in 2021 virtually as he avoided foreign travel. This year, instead, his premier Li Qiang will lead the Chinese delegation to “make the G20 summit a success”, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Read my analysis here.

Will China spoil India’s moment in the international limelight?

Modi’s podium reads Bharat, not India

06:49 , Shweta Sharma

As he addresses the start of the summit, it isn’t lost on everyone here that Narendra Modi’s name plate reads “Bharat” instead of the more conventional “India”.

Both are official names for the country and mentioned in its constitution, but the convention previously at such international events was for the English language version to be used.

The decision to use the “Bharat” label comes after a week of intense debate here over whether India could drop its English name entirely and only be referred to by the Hindi version “Bharat” going forwards.

You can read more about the India “name change” controversy here.

Modi invites AU president to take chair as permanent member of G20

06:32 , Shweta Sharma

Shortly after beginning his address, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said he was confident that all the G20 members agree to India’s proposal for the Africa Union to become a permanent member of the bloc.

The inclusion of the 55-member AU would be a significant expansion of the bloc which currently comprises the world’s 19 largest economies plus the European Union.

Mr Modi invited the AU’s president – Comoros president Azali Assoumani – to take a chair as a permanent member.

Modi begins speech by paying tribute to Morocco

06:28 , Shweta Sharma

Modi is delivering his opening speech for the summit, and starts with remarks about the Morocco earthquake, which overnight killed hundreds of people and has caused significant damages to the historic city of Marrakesh.

“Before starting the official proceedings, I would like to express my condolences to the people impacted by the earthquake in Morocco. The world is with Morocco and we are ready to provide them with all the possible help.”

You can follow our live coverage of the Morocco earthquake here.

Modi welcomes Sunak with a hug

06:20 , Shweta Sharma

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi welcomed Rishi Sunak with a handshake and his signature long hug as the British prime minister of Indian heritage walked the red carpet.

Mr Sunak landed in Delhi yesterday afternoon and described how “special” it felt to return to the country as prime minister, and with his wife Akshata Murty who was born in India.

Mr Sunak said he will hold a bilateral meeting with Mr Modi on the sidelines of G20 and will raise the issue of the Ukraine war.

“When it comes to Ukraine and Russia in the conflict I am going to highlight the devastating impact Russia’s illegal invasion is having on millions of people around the world,” he said yesterday.

Vladimir Putin is skipping this weekend’s summit but will be represented by his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, and Mr Sunak said he would “put pressure on Russia to cease attacking civilian infrastructure in Ukraine”.

US president Joe Biden arrives at G20 summit

06:14 , Shweta Sharma

Joe Biden, who landed in Delhi late yesterday evening, beamed as he was welcomed by Modi on the summit’s red carpet.

Mr Modi appeared to show him the backdrop, showing the chakra (a wheel) of Konark Sun Temple.

Delhi grinds to standstill as all eyes turn to G20

06:10 , Shweta Sharma

The roads of the usually bustling national capital bore a deserted look on Saturday as top leaders of the G20 grouping arrived at the Bharat Mandapam venue to attend the summit.

Tens of thousands of security personnels have taken over the roads of the city, freshly washed by a sudden spell of rain this morning.

Markets have been shuttered, schools closed and traffic restricted in the city of over 30 million people.

And offices have been ordered to operate remotely as nearly 130,000 police and paramilitary security personnel were deployed for the security of the arriving guests – Saturday would normally be a working day for most here.

Vast media centre abuzz with excitement as G20 gets underway

05:48 , Shweta Sharma

The first day of the G20 summit in Delhi kicked off this morning with an unexpected downpour, bringing a welcome dip in temperatures – still very warm in northern India in early September – to greet world leaders.

More than 3,000 journalists arrived very early in the morning at the media centre of the Bharat Mandapam convention centre, which has been built specifically for this summit and sprung to life just in time for this historic occasion for India.

Inside the media convention centre, the air hummed with excitement as journalists began preparing to provide live coverage of the event.

The sprawling complex is, like the rest of Delhi in recent days, adorned with towering images of host Narendra Modi beaming ear to ear, as well as other life-sized posters and billboards proudly announcing the themes of India’s G20 presidency.

The G20 logo of a globe sitting on a lotus has been splashed across the walls of the media centre in vibrant colours.

Given the scale of the event the media centre is separated from the venue where world leaders are gathering, meaning the epicentre of attention in on a set of colossal screens dominating the two-story hall. These screens offer a view of Bharat Mandapam proper, where the leaders are arriving to deliberate on critical global matters.

G20 schedule for first day: ‘One Earth, One Family'

05:40 , Shweta Sharma

The first session of the G20 summit, entitled “One Earth”, will begin shortly at 10.30am IST (6am BST).

The discussion will focus on accelerating climate action through increased mitigation and firming the agenda of global net zero emissions.

Following the lunch break, another session on the topic of “One Family” will commence at 3pm IST.

The two sessions are based on India’s G20 presidency theme: One Earth - One Family - One Future, which is drawn from a Sanskrit Hindu scripture.

The first day of the summit will conclude with a special dinner hosted by India’s president Droupadi Murmu at 7pm.

Modi greets world leaders as G20 begins

05:32 , Shweta Sharma

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the G20 leaders’ summit from the Bharat Mandapam venue here in New Delhi.

The first day of the summit is getting under way with the arrival of world leaders at the venue from 9.30am IST onwards.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi is welcoming leaders from the G20 countries and invited guests.