Delhi: Last year's G20 summit in New Delhi saw Indian government pull off huge diplomatic success in bridging global divides on issues like Russia-Ukraine conflict, big tech revolution and women-led development among others. Behind the success of the mega event, lied intense efforts of the Centre's bureaucratic officials who worked through many sleepless nights to ensure a perfect show.
In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant shared his views on India’s growing role in the global economy. Kant emphasised that as India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and per capita income increase, the country’s influence on the world stage will also expand. He further highlighted India’s success in building consensus on critical issues during the G20 summit, despite skepticism from the international community about India’s ability to reach agreements.
Kant also revealed how Prime Minister Narendra Modi was firm that India would not remain a part of the G20 if consensus wasn’t reached on critical matters. PM Modi even mentioned that if talks failed, India would prioritise other forums like BRICS and IBSA.
In his Book, 'How India Scaled Mt G20: The Inside Story Of The G20 Presidency' published by Rupa Publications, Amitabh Kant writes, "I often thought about this while working on the draft for the New Delhi Leader's Declaration (NDLD) for the G20 summit. Just as those former engineers developed simple but profound systems to create order and progress, we set the stage for global cooperation and action. Our task was to draft a declaration that encapsulated the core messages we wanted to convey clearly and decisively- our own green light for global initiatives."
Sleepless Nights Of G20 Meetings
G20 Sherpa explained that the summit provided a platform for addressing multilateral issues and stressed the importance of carefully attending to every detail during the negotiations. He revealed that the draft concerning the Russia-Ukraine conflict went through 16 failed attempts, but after 300 hours of discussions and 250 meetings, the 17th draft was approved. This effort required intense dedication, with the team working through 11 sleepless nights.
He also recounted a key moment when Russia insisted on the removal of Word 'sanctions', which India firmly rejected. A turning point came when Foreign Minister S Jaishankar suggested that if Russia didn’t agree, President Zelensky of Ukraine would speak at the summit, something Russia wanted to avoid. This pressure eventually led Russia to accept the terms. Regarding the 2026 G20 summit location, Kant discussed China’s objection to the US hosting it, citing visa issues. The matter was resolved after the US provided written assurances.
According to Amitabh Kant, the final negotiations for the New Delhi Declaration were held at a secret location near Nuh, Haryana, where Sherpas were asked to leave their phones behind, and the media was kept at bay to prevent any leaks before the deal was finalised. After 16 drafts were rejected, the 17th draft was approved, marking a major diplomatic success for India.
Touch Of Humour In G20
In G20, negotiations were not devoid of lighter moments. For instance, France wanted to include a mention of the 2024 Olympic Games in the NDLD. This raised eyebrows and delegates questioned why the Olympics should be singled out when other significant global sporting events were on the horizon. Amitabh Kant suggested inclusion of the 2023 Cricket World Cup and the 2024 T20 world Cup as well.
Then, amid heated negotiations on climate action, India made history on 23 August 2023 with the Chandrayaan mission, becoming the first country to land on the lunar South Pole. "We took a moment to break the tension and streamed the landing live for everyone. The moon buzzed with excitement and appreciation and Russia even suggested acknowledging India's achievement in the final NDLD," revealed Kant.
