New Delhi Prepares to Host G20 Summit: A Showcase of India’s Diplomatic Clout
Roads have been cordoned off, schools and offices have been closed, and street vendors have been ordered to clear out. Decorations, including large billboards with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s face on them, are plastered across the Indian capital. After months of heady preparation, India will this weekend host the Group of 20 (G20) summit, the biggest gathering of world leaders in the country in 40 years.
While the G20 has its own agenda, it is also an opportunity for the host country to bask in the limelight and demonstrate its diplomatic clout. The host is tasked with convincing other nations in the G20 to agree to a common agreement at the end of the summit, which serves as the group’s roadmap for the next year.
Hosting the G20 is like being the host of the diplomatic World Cup – it’s a big draw and a lot of publicity and media attention. India’s government has squeezed as much as they could to get other nations to talk about the G20.
However, the G20 is a deeply divided group with competing agendas, and India is facing the prospect of a failure to put out a joint communique. This would make it the first G20 summit to culminate without any agreement. India wants to showcase its rising power and demonstrate that it has the ability to deliver a consensus.
Despite the challenges, India is focused on being the voice of the Global South. The joint declaration at the end of the summit will have a strong voice for the developing countries.
The Indian government is also using the summit to promote the country and attract tourism and investment. Additionally, it provides an opportunity for political campaigns ahead of upcoming state and national elections. However, the summit has already experienced three high-profile absentees: Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Overcoming these challenges and ironing out the differences within the group will be the test of India’s diplomacy and its ability to shine on the global stage.