The G20 Summit in South Africa revealed deep fissures among the world’s leading economies that made any consensus difficult. Yet it underscored why the Global South has an opportunity to assert its interests in ways that were not possible before. Prime Minister Narendra Modi showed how India could lead the way in these efforts, if it backs up its capabilities with consistent intent. The United States of America boycotted the event, with President Donald Trump repeating accusations that South Africa, the host, had engaged in a genocide against its White population. There is no evidence of any such genocide even though Mr Trump’s administration has decided to grant Afrikaners privileged status in its refugee programme. Apart from Mr Trump, the presidents of China, Russia, Nigeria, Mexico and Argentina also skipped the G20 Summit, each citing their own reasons, though they deputed other senior officials to attend, unlike the US which made a point of not sending anyone to the conclave. The absence of leaders from so many of the 19 countries that constitute the G20, along with the European Union and the African Union, had threatened to rob the summit of its sheen. However, that void also meant that other nations had a chance to step up. India did just that.
Mr Modi used the occasion to hold a blitzkrieg of bilateral meetings with leaders, some with old friends like President Emmanuel Macron of France, others with new counterparts like Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan. But behind the scenes and away from the public visuals, India also managed to ensure that several of its core concerns were reflected in the summit declaration. At a time when India is still piecing together the events that led to the deadly blast in Delhi earlier this month, the G20 declaration unequivocally condemning terrorism in all its forms was an important statement from the world’s leading nations. The declaration also expended significant ink to address climate change and the role that the developed world must play in helping the Global South combat its effects. This might have been difficult to achieve if Mr Trump, a climate change denialist, had been present. India’s broader understanding of growth as a multifaceted phenomenon was also captured in the declaration. These gains show that India can serve as both a bridge and a beacon in a divided world. All it needs is the conviction to assume those mantles and stay the course.