New Delhi, Jun 18 : Less than three months before the G20 summit in Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed inclusion of the African Union (AU) into the grouping — effectively making it G21, sources said on Saturday. Sources said Modi has written to G20 leaders to propose that the African Union be given “full membership at the upcoming Delhi Summit of G20, as requested by them”. The G20 summit is scheduled to take place in Delhi on September 9-10. However, any expansion of membership of the G20 grouping is based on consensus, and all G20 leaders have to come to an agreement on the issue, sources said.
Sources said the idea germinated after the ‘Voice of the Global South' summit in January this year, in which most of the African continent's 54 countries participated. The discussions were carried forward in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, which houses the headquarters of the African Union. There is only one country from the entire African continent in the grouping – South Africa. Many African leaders have argued that Europe is represented by five countries as well as the European Union (EU), and the African Union merits similar representation as well. This issue is expected to figure in the discussions between Modi and US President Joe Biden during their meeting in the coming week in Washington DC. “Prime Minister Modi has taken a bold step in enhancing Africa's voice on the international stage and in shaping the future of our shared world… he has led from the front on this matter, which he strongly advocates and supports,” said a source. Calling the move a “right step” towards a “just, fair, more inclusive and representative global architecture and governance,” the source said, “PM is a strong believer in having greater Voice of the Global South countries on international platforms, particularly African countries.” “As part of India's G20 Presidency, he has particularly focused on incorporating the priorities of the African countries in the G20 agenda,” the source said. The G20 comprises 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, UK and US) and the European Union. The G20 members represent around 85% of the global GDP, over 75% of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
