Ajay Banga, the president of the World Bank, claimed on Sunday that India’s G20 presidency had paved the way for the rest of the world and praised the G20 declaration’s anonymous adoption by all G20 countries.
“I consider the fact that there was a declaration, a tribute to the fact that the G20 leadership found a way to give and take and negotiate and find a right way to agree and set a path for the world. The world is watching, the G20 has got the developed world and the developing countries,” Banga said. Banga emphasised that challenges will always exist but India had shown the way by working out a consensus.
He added, “80% of the world’s GDP was sitting in the room. If they would not agree that would not give a good message. I actually compliment India, its leadership and the G 20 leaders for being able to make sure that a terrific declaration comes out. There will always be challenges.”
“No 20 countries will agree on everything. People will have to look after their national interests. But I am optimistic by the mood I saw in that room” he added.
The G20 Delhi Declaration was approved earlier on Saturday. It urged nations to uphold international law, including the multilateral system that protects peace and stability as well as territorial integrity and international humanitarian law. The declaration envisions a green development pact for a sustainable future and supports, among other things, the Deccan Principles on Food Security and Nutrition, the Chennai Principles for a Sustainable Resilient Blue Economy, and high level principles on lifestyle for sustainable development.
The biggest takeaway from the declaration was that all 83 of its paragraphs were approved by a vote of 100% consensus, with China and Russia joining in. The declaration was the first to do so without a footnote or Chair’s Summary. Additionally, the African Union was admitted as a new permanent member of the G20 at the G20 meeting on Saturday, giving developing countries a bigger voice in international decision-making.