New Delhi, June 19
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also pitched for enhancing Africa’s voice on the international stage and in shaping the future of our shared world by including it in the G20. At present, there is only one African country in the G20
Sources here said the Prime Minister has written to G20 counterparts to propose that the African Union be given full membership at the upcoming Delhi Summit of G20, as requested by them. Among the G20 members who have already proposed the inclusion of AU in the G20 are the US, Indonesia, France and China.
“The Prime Minister has led from the front on this matter, which he strongly advocates and supports. This will be a right step towards a just, fair, more inclusive and representative global architecture and governance. The Prime Minister is a strong believer in having a greater Voice of the Global South countries on international platforms, particularly of African countries,’’ said the sources.
As part of India’s G20 Presidency, the PM has particularly focused on incorporating the priorities of African countries in the G20 agenda, they added.
The current chair of AU and Senegalese President Macky Sall had proposed a seat for the grouping in July last year as the absence of adequate representation from Africa could be detrimental to the G20. “The most pressing issues — climate change, pandemics, security, and debt — are ones that both affect Africa and on which Africa is in a position to contribute to solutions. Such a gap in African representation can weaken the G-20’s credibility, traction, and representativeness,” he wrote.
