The story so far: With about 50 days to go until the G-20 Summit in New Delhi, Sherpas (senior members of the staff of the heads of state and government) and negotiators at various G-20 ministerial meetings and working groups have been unable to issue a single Joint Communiqué thus far. Instead, given the stand by Russia and China to oppose the paragraphs on the war in Ukraine contained in the statements that have been issued till now, India has been forced to issue a series of “Chairman’s Summary and Outcomes Documents” at the various meetings. These include the three meetings of the all-powerful G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, to ones on Tourism, Education, Labour, Crime and Digital Security and even the Space economy. Are there still chances of a Joint Communiqué or “Leaders Declaration” being issued at the G-20 Summit in India on September 9-10?
Why does a Joint Communiqué matter?
Since its inception in 1999, and upgradation to a leader’s level summit in 2008, the G-20 grouping of the world’s biggest economies has always managed to find a consensus within the countries and issue a joint declaration at the end of every summit. If that doesn’t take place in New Delhi this September, it would be an ignoble first for the grouping, and could even raise questions over whether the G-20 is sustainable in its present form. After the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, G-8 leaders had suspended Russia, changing the grouping to G-7. However, the G-20 summit in Brisbane, Australia that year managed to issue a joint declaration without mentioning the Crimean conflict, and even managed a “family photo” with all the leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin. In 2022, the Indonesian G-20 presidency faced tense moments as the declaration was negotiated until the very last moment of the summit. Mr. Putin didn’t attend, and no “family photo” was allowed, but it managed to issue a document. During its tenure as President, India wishes for the best possible outcome at the G-20 summit, and hence its negotiators on the “Sherpa track”, who collate the final document, are putting sustained efforts into ensuring a resolution to the logjam over Ukraine.
