PM Modi To Visit Johannesburg For G20 Leaders' Summit On Nov 21 — What's On Agenda?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit South Africa's Johannesburg for the G20 Leaders' Summit, scheduled from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday.

The summit is being hosted by the Republic of South Africa and marks the fourth consecutive G20 Summit held in the Global South. It will have three sessions in total and PM Modi is expected to speak in all of them, as per the statement.

These sessions will cover an array of topics such as sustainable economic growth, climate change, artificial intelligence and more. The details are as follows:

1. Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth Leaving No One Behind : Building our economies; the role of trade; financing for development and the debt burden

2. A Resilient World — the G20's Contribution: Disaster Risk Reduction; Climate Change; Just Energy Transitions; Food Systems

3. A Fair and a Just Future for All: Critical Minerals; Decent Work; Artificial Intelligence

On the sidelines of the summit, the prime minister will most likely hold bilateral meetings with some of the leaders present in Johannesburg, and also partake in in the India-Brazil-South Africa or IBSA Leaders' Meeting.

Notably, India was the host country of the G20 Summit in September, 2023.

Trump To Skip G20

In the beginning of November, US President Donald Trump announced that no US official would participate in the Summit, which is being hosted by South Africa as it prepares to hand over the annual Presidency to the US.

He cited the alleged persecution of white Afrikaner farmers in South Africa as the reason for his decision. This allegation has been denied and repeatedly by both the South African government and some of the leaders within the white community itself.

He received backlash from South African government and the ruling African National Congress, who labelled Trump as an "imperialist interference."