FROM DELHI TO RIO: A SHARED AGENDA FOR G20, RISE OF THE GLOBAL SOUTH

India is expecting the Rio Declaration to contain a strong collective appeal for urgent democratisation of global governance institutions and expansion of the UN Security Council to accommodate emerging economies.

- MANISH CHAND

As world leaders descend this week Ad on Rio de Janeiro, a new anthem of renewal of the global multilateral system, led by the Global South, will resonate amid notes of carnival and samba which the picturesque seaside city is famous for. At the Museum of Modern Art, the venue of the G20 summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join the leaders of the world's major economies to brainstorm on 18-19 November on a wide swathe of cross-cutting issues to shape an inclusive world order, free from poverty, hunger, and socio-economic disparities.

FOCUS ON GLOBAL SOUTH The G20 summit this year is special as this is the first time the 55-nation African Union (AU) will participate as a full member after being inducted in the G20 family at the New Delhi summit last year. The Global South will be the reigning flavour at the summit as Brazil has invited, besides G20 countries, the leaders of 18 invitee countries, which include five from Africa.

Building on the signature outcomes of India's G20 presidency, the Rio summit is poised to be transformational and a unique moment crystallizing the rise of the Global South in the international arena. This will be the third consecutive year in which a major country from the Global South will be hosting the G20 summit after Indonesia (2022) and India (2023). At the end of the Rio summit, the baton will pass to South Africa, a stalwart of the Global South and the powerhouse of the African continent.