India gears up for G20 Summit: Check event venue, guest list, special invitees

The 18th G20 Summit, in which the heads of states and governments will meet, on September 9 and 10 will be held in India's national capital New Delhi. Over 25 world leaders along with other delegates are going to attend this mega event.

One of the largest multilateral summits, the G20 Summit presents a significant diplomatic opportunity for India, which will convene with the adoption of join declaration by all the member states.

India assumed the G20 Presidency on December 1 last year. The 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi scheduled to be held on September 9-10 will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year.

Who are the members of the Group of Twenty (G20)?

The Group of Twenty (G20) comprises 19 countries - Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, United Kingdom and the United States 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.

Where will the G20 Summit be held?

The newly-built Bharat Mandapam, the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) at New Delhi's Pragati Maidan will host the event. It was earlier inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July.

Spread across 123 acres of campus area, the complex is built at a cost of around ₹2,700 crore. It has the state-of-the-art facilities including convention centre, exhibition halls, interpreter room, amphitheatre, making it the country's largest meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions destination.

Who will attend the summit?

World leaders from several countries and institutions will mark their presence at the event. They include US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has opted out of the summit and foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will represent the country in his place. Chinese President Xi Jinping has also decided to skip the event and has send country's Premier Li Qiang instead, according to sources who told HT.

Who are the special invitees?

At every summit, the host country invites countries and institutions that are not the member of the G20. This year, India has invited Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Egypt President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Spanish President Pedro Sanchez, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed and Oman Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Asad Bin Tariq Al Said.

Among leaders of global institutions, World Bank president Ajay Banga, International Solar Alliance director general Ajay Mathur, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure director general Amit Prothi, United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres, International Labour Organisation director general Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo, chair of Financial Stability Board Klaas Knot, International Monetary Fund managing director Kritalina Georgieva, Asian Development Bank president Masatsugu Asakawa, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development secretary general Mathias Cormann, World Trade Organisation director general Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and World Health Organisation director general Tedros Adhanom Gherbreyesus have been invited.

What is the summit's theme/agenda?

The G20 Summit 2023 is being held under the theme – Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (One Earth. One Family. One Future) – centred around the value of all life including human, animal, plant and microorganisms and their interconnectedness on the planet Earth and in the wider universe.

India's presidency of the summit holds significance as it aims to become a voice for ‘less developed’ global South in a world dominated by developed nations of the West. It is also likely to take up the issue of border tension with China. India, in its part, may attempt to straighten out its diplomatic intricacies with the West after they faced challenges due to Russia-Ukraine conflict.