PM Modi concludes G20 Summit with call for global peace: 'Swati Astu Vishwa'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked a call for global peace with the words 'Swati Astu Vishwa,' symbolizing hope for harmony and unity amid ongoing conflicts, particularly the Ukraine crisis. The message was shared as the gavel of the G20 presidency passed from India to Brazil, where President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will lead the organization in the coming year.

This poignant slogan, roughly translating to "let there be peace in the world," resonated with the spirit of the New Delhi Leaders' Summit Declaration adopted on the preceding day, marking a significant achievement at the G20 Summit. Despite disagreements among G20 negotiators regarding the Ukraine issue, leaders united to endorse the Delhi Declaration with unanimous consent, declaring that "today's era must not be of war."

Prime Minister Modi, as he formally concluded the Summit, expressed his aspiration for a harmonious future, saying, “I declare the end of the G20 summit. Hoping the roadmap of One Earth, One Family, and One Future brings joy. Thank you!”

India holds the G20 presidency until November 2023, and Prime Minister Modi proposed a virtual session for a comprehensive review of the topics discussed during the Summit, scheduled for the end of November. He encouraged all participants to actively engage in this follow-up session to expedite progress on the proposals and suggestions made during the event.

As Brazil prepares to assume the G20 presidency in 2024, PM Modi extended congratulations to President Lula. In response, President Lula praised India's efficient leadership during the Summit and emphasized the critical need to address global inequalities.

Lula stressed, "We will only be able to face global problems if we address the issue of inequality - inequality of income, access to healthcare, education, food, gender, and race. Also, representation is at the root of these anomalies." He called for expanding the membership of the UN Security Council to include new developing countries as permanent, non-permanent members, in order to enhance its political influence.

Earlier, in a symbolic gesture, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, representing the G20 presidencies of the past and future years respectively, presented saplings to the current chair during the 'One Future' session, symbolizing the continuity and growth of the G20.

During the same session, PM Modi called for a reflection of "new realities" in the "new global structure" and highlighted the urgency of reforms in global institutions such as the United Nations. He stressed that the UN, originally founded with 51 members, now includes nearly 200 nations, and advocated for immediate, effective decisions regarding the expansion of the mandate of multilateral development banks.

Throughout the G20 Summit, leaders from around the world paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat and participated in a tree-planting ceremony at the G20 venue, Bharat Mandapam. Notably, India achieved a diplomatic triumph on the first day of the historic summit by securing a consensus declaration despite significant differences over the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with Prime Minister Modi calling for an end to the "global trust deficit." Additionally, he announced the admission of the African Union as a permanent member of the G20, aligning with this year's summit theme of 'One Earth, One Family, One Future.'