New Delhi Declaration adopted at G20, huge win as India clinches consensus

The New Delhi Leaders' Summit Declaration was adopted on Saturday in a massive breakthrough as members of the G20 arrived at a "100% consensus" on the opening day of the Summit on Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the big announcement which the government described as "historic and pathbreaking".

"I have received good news. Due to the hard work of our team, consensus has been built on New Delhi G20 Leaders' Summit Declaration. My proposal is to adopt this leadership declaration. I announce to adopt this declaration. On this occasion, I congratulate my Sherpa, ministers, who worked hard for it and made it possible," PM Modi said while making the announcement.

"It is my proposal that this G20 declaration be adopted," the Prime Minister said. The declaration was welcomed with G20 members thumping their desks.

India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said that the New Delhi Declaration - running into 38 paragraphs, was adopted with "100% consensus on all developmental and geo-political issues".

"The New Delhi Leaders Declaration has been officially adopted at the G20 India Leaders’ Summit! Today's era must be marked as the golden age of human-centric globalisation and India's G20 Presidency under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi has worked tirelessly towards this goal," Kant posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Hammering out a consensus on the "geopolitical paras" - a reference to the wording of the Ukraine crisis which had been a major sticking point - demonstrated Prime Minister Modi's leadership in today's world", Kant added.

This effectively made G20 India "the most ambitious in the history of G20 presidencies", the top official said.

The government also said that the New Delhi Leaders Declaration had a "huge India narrative, huge India footprint".

Earlier in the day, PM Modi called for bridging the "global trust deficit" that had been deepened further by the war in Ukraine, as India proposed a new text on the Ukraine crisis to break the deadlock over the Delhi Declaration.

The G20 grouping had been deeply divided over the war in Ukraine, with Western nations pushing for strong condemnation of Russia in the Leaders' Declaration, while others demanded a focus on broader economic issues.

The New Delhi Leaders Declaration broadly focuses on 5 key areas:

• Strong, Sustainable, Balanced, and Inclusive Growth
• Accelerating Progress on #SDGs
• Green Development Pact for a Sustainable Future
• Multilateral Institutions for the 21st Century
• Reinvigorating Multilateralism