'Will present India’s perspective': PM Modi embarks on visit to South Africa to attend G20 summit

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday embarked on a three-day visit to South Africa to attend the first G20 summit being held in Africa.

During his stay in Johannesburg, the Prime Minister will also attend the sixth IBSA Summit on the sidelines of the G20.

“I will present India’s perspective at the Summit in line with our vision of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and 'One earth, One Family and One future’,” Modi said in his departure statement.

This is the first time a G20 Summit is being held on the African continent.

"Will be attending the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. This is a particularly special Summit as it is being held in Africa. Various global issues will be discussed there. Will be meeting various world leaders during the Summit," Modi posted on X.

On the margins of the summit, the prime minister is expected to hold bilateral meetings with some of the leaders present in Johannesburg. He will also attend the sixth IBSA Summit there.

In his departure statement, the Prime Minister said, "I will present India’s perspective at the Summit in line with our vision of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and 'One earth, One Family and One Future’".

He is visiting South Africa from November 22-23 at the invitation of President Cyril Ramaphosa to attend the 20th G20 Leaders' Summit under South Africa’s Presidency.

"This will be a particularly special Summit given that it would be the first G20 Summit being held in Africa. During India’s Presidency of the G20 in 2023, the African Union had become a member of the G20," Modi said in his statement.

The Summit will be an opportunity to discuss key global issues. The theme of this year’s G20 has been ‘Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability’, by which South Africa has carried forward the outcomes from the previous Summits held in New Delhi and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he said.

"I look forward to my interactions with leaders of the partner countries, and participation in the 6th IBSA Summit scheduled on the sidelines of the Summit," Modi said.

"During the visit, I also look forward to my interaction with the Indian diaspora in South Africa, which is one of the largest outside India," he added.

The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday had said that Prime Minister Modi is expected to speak in all three sessions of the Summit.

The three sessions of the Summit include "Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth Leaving No One Behind: Building our economies, the role of trade, financing for development and the debt burden".

The other two sessions are "A Resilient World – the G20’s Contribution: Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change, Just Energy Transitions, Food Systems"; and "A Fair and a Just Future for All: Critical Minerals, Decent Work, Artificial Intelligence".

A top official of the MEA on Thursday had said that he would not like to prejudge what would figure in the leaders' declaration, but all important matters relevant from the perspective of India and the Global South will be "highlighted by our leadership".

This will be the fourth consecutive summit of the grouping that will be held in the Global South.

Before South Africa, the G20 presidencies were held by Brazil (2024), India (2023) and Indonesia (2022).

During the G20 Summit in 2023 in New Delhi, the African Union became a permanent member of the group of 20 largest economies of the world, with Prime Minister Modi announcing its entry into the grouping.

G20 members include the world's major economies, representing 85 per cent of global GDP, 75 per cent of international trade, and two-thirds of the world's population, according to the website of the G20.

It comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkiye, the UK, the US, the European Union, and the African Union.