he Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, announced this Saturday that the G20, which brings together the world’s main economies, has made the historic decision to include the African Union (AU) as a permanent member, an agreement that was planned and which makes the bloc the second regional organization to join the group.
At the start of the annual G20 summit in New Delhi, the capital of India, Modi invited AU President Azali Assoumani to “take his seat as a permanent member of the G20” after reaching an agreement with member states.
The president of the Comoros approached the Indian leader and gave him a hug in an act that the Comorian delegation described as “historic.” The decision seeks to make the G20 a more “inclusive” group and reinforce the role of the Global South, one of the main objectives of the Indian presidency.
The AU – made up of 55 African states – had been requesting its inclusion as a full member for seven years, although for now the G20 only had the European Union as the only permanent member representing a bloc of countries.
The parties are scheduled to address other major issues, such as climate change and World Bank reform, at a summit that runs through Sunday.
