PM Modi’s Johannesburg triumphs and G20 odysseys in the past many years highlight a resurgent India that is confident, compassionate, and consequential
By R Anil Kumar
PM Modi’s diplomatic mastery at the G20 Summit in Johannesburg tells you why diplomacy is eventually about. The 20th G20 Leaders’ Summit unfolded under the theme ‘Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability’.
This historic gathering was the first time an African nation hosted the forum, a milestone that underscored the shifting sands of global geopolitics.
Amid this backdrop, PM Modi emerged not just as India’s representative but as a pivotal architect of international consensus. His interventions, bilateral engagements, and visionary proposals propelled India’s stature to new heights, reinforcing its role as a bridge between the developed and the developing nations.
Since assuming office in 2014, Modi has attended a dozen G20 Summits, transforming India from a peripheral participant into a central convener. Through assertive yet inclusive diplomacy, he has leveraged the G20 to amplify India’s priorities: sustainable development, counter-terrorism, climate action, and equitable global governance.
In an era of geopolitical fragmentation, Modi’s approach exemplifies ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family), blending ancient wisdom with modern realpolitik. As the first G20 Summit on African soil, it provided PM Modi a platform to champion the continent’s aspirations, echoing his 2023 Delhi Declaration that secured the African Union’s permanent G20 membership — a diplomatic coup that reshaped the forum’s inclusivity.
Despite the notable absence of US President Donald Trump, who boycotted the event amid domestic priorities, Modi stepped into the leadership vacuum with characteristic poise, ensuring the Summit’s joint declaration advanced without a US veto — a testament to India’s growing heft. The Summit’s opening session saw PM Modi deliver a compelling address, critiquing outdated growth models that perpetuate inequality and environmental degradation, particularly in Africa. Drawing from ‘Integral Humanism’, a philosophy emphasising holistic human development, he proposed harmonisation of economic advancement with planetary stewardship.
This philosophical pivot resonated deeply, positioning India as a moral compass for the Global South.
Modi’s centrepiece was a six-point global agenda, unveiled as actionable initiatives to foster resilience and equity. A ‘train-the-trainers’ programme to certify one million African trainers over a decade, backed by G20 financing, is a case in point. India committed to leading skill development for one million youth, addressing Africa’s youth bulge and unemployment crisis. This builds on Modi’s earlier emphasis on human capital as the engine of sustainable growth. A rapid-deployment force of medical experts from G20 nations for health emergencies and disasters was also proposed by PM Modi. Inspired by India’s COVID-19 vaccine diplomacy via COVAX, this proposal underscores Modi’s vision of health as a global public good, preventing future pandemics through collective preparedness.
A digital archive hosted by the G20, preserving indigenous practices for sustainable solutions, to boost the traditional knowledge economy was also proposed by Modi. Modelled on India’s Indian Knowledge Systems, it highlights Ayurveda’s role in modern wellness, blending cultural heritage with innovation to counter climate challenges.
More importantly, a framework integrating financial intelligence, security tools, and law enforcement to dismantle narcotics-funded terrorism and break the ‘drugs-terror nexus’, was also proposed. Modi linked synthetic drugs like fentanyl to terror financing, urging unified action and a direct nod to India’s zero-tolerance stance on cross-border threats. Sharing agriculture, fisheries, and disaster data from G20 space agencies, making it interoperable for developing nations, was also proposed. Leveraging ISRO’s prowess, this democratises space tech and satellite ownership, empowering small farmers and disaster-prone regions. Promoting recycling, urban mining, and ‘second-life’ batteries for critical minerals vital to clean energy transitions, was also proposed by PM Modi. With India’s lithium ambitions and EV push, this initiative secures supply chains, while advancing green goals.
Let truth be told – These proposals were not mere rhetoric; they garnered endorsements from Brazil, Indonesia, and South Africa, amplifying India’s convening power and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomatic heft.
In the resilience session, Modi advocated shifting from reactive disaster management to proactive strategies, invoking the Deccan Principles for food security and fair climate finance under CBDR (Common But Differentiated Responsibilities). He reiterated the Global South’s call for UNSC reforms, ensuring Africa’s amplified voice — a legacy from India’s 2023 presidency.
Modi’s diplomacy extended to over a dozen bilaterals, turning the Summit into a hub of bilateral breakthroughs. His meeting with Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi focused on innovation, defence, and trade, aiming to elevate bilateral ties to a ‘Special Strategic Global Partnership’. Similarly, discussions with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni reinforced the India-Italy Strategic Partnership, emphasising defence co-production and Mediterranean-Indian Ocean connectivity. A trilateral with IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) leaders revitalised South-South cooperation on trade and climate. Notably, Modi’s dialogue with Canada’s Mark Carney addressed economic resilience, while a chat with IMF’s Kristalina Georgieva aligned on debt relief for low-income countries. Even with Jamaica’s Andrew Holness, Modi highlighted cultural linkages, proposing deeper Caribbean ties.
By the end of the Summit, India’s stature soared – from vaccine provider to skills enabler, from climate sceptic to green innovator. Johannesburg wasn’t just a Summit; it was Modi’s reaffirmation of India as the Global South’s indispensable ally. Narendra Modi’s G20 journey began in Brisbane, Australia, in November 2014, merely months into his first term. As a newcomer on the global stage, Modi astutely identified the forum’s potential beyond economics — to forge strategic partnerships. His debut speech urged “reformed multilateralism”, critiquing the G20’s underutilisation for development goals and securing commitments on infrastructure financing for Asia. This set the tone for his ‘Neighbourhood First’ and ‘Act East’ policies, with bilaterals yielding the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement framework.
By 2015 in Antalya, Turkey, Modi navigated the shadow of the Paris Climate Accord. He championed CBDR, ensuring developing nations’ flexibility, while launching the International Solar Alliance (ISA) with France — a Modi-Hollande brainchild, now spanning over 120 countries. This initiative, blending diplomacy with climate action, exemplified Modi’s “multi-alignment”, engaging all without alienation. In Hangzhou, China (2016), amid Doklam tensions, Modi deftly separated bilateral frictions from multilateral gains, pushing digital economy inclusion and anti-corruption pacts. The 2017 Hamburg Summit tested PM Modi’s mettle amid US-China trade rifts. He advocated for WTO reforms and sustainable tourism, while his rapport with ex-German Chancellor Angela Merkel deepened EU-India ties, culminating in the 2018 Investment Facilitation Agreement.
Buenos Aires (2018) saw Modi prioritise ocean governance, launching the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), now with 50 members, fortifying India’s soft power in vulnerability-prone regions. The COVID-19 era (2019-2022) amplified Modi’s G20 leverage. At Osaka (2019), he proposed the G20 Virtual Secretariat for health crises, presciently addressing pandemics. Riyadh (2020, virtual) and Rome (2021) platforms allowed India to lead on vaccine equity; Modi’s ‘Vaccine Maitri’ distributed over 200 million doses globally, earning him the “Global Vaccine Champion” moniker.
In Bali (2022), despite Ukraine divisions, Modi brokered the Delhi Declaration’s consensus in 2023 by hosting virtually, excluding divisive language—a diplomatic sleight-of-hand that included the African Union and helped advance debt restructuring for 75 poorest nations. India’s 2023 presidency was Modi’s magnum opus. Under ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, New Delhi hosted over 200 meetings, culminating in the September Summit where Modi declared, “This is not an era of war.”
The African Union’s inclusion was a geopolitical masterstroke, fulfilling Modi’s Global South advocacy. Initiatives like the Green Development Pact and Women’s Working Group, advanced gender and climate agendas, with India’s UPI piloted for G20 digital payments. Post-presidency, Modi’s influence endured. In Rio de Janeiro (2024), he pushed biodiversity finance via the Global Biofuels Alliance, co-founded with the US and Brazil. Johannesburg 2025 seamlessly extended this trajectory, with proposals echoing 2023’s inclusivity. Over 10 years, Modi’s foreign trips, many G20-centric, have woven India into global fabrics – QUAD for Indo-Pacific security, I2U2 for Middle East tech, and IMEEC for Eurasian connectivity.
The adoption of the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) partnership, which would give a boost to trilateral cooperation in the fields of critical technologies, nuclear energy, diversification of supply chains, and AI, has been the highlight of the Johannesburg Summit. Prime Minister Carney expressed support for the AI Summit to be hosted by India in February 2026.
The leaders agreed to begin negotiations on a high-ambition Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), aimed at doubling bilateral trade to USD 50 billion by 2030. Both sides reaffirmed their long-standing civil nuclear cooperation and noted the ongoing discussions on expanding collaboration, including through long-term uranium supply arrangements.
Critics may decry Modi’s “personality-driven” diplomacy, but metrics affirm success. India’s global approval ratings soared from 34% in 2014 to over 67% in 2024; Gross FDI inflows tripled to $81 billion on average, every single year, and strategic pacts were inked with over 50 nations. As one analyst noted, Modi “cracked the code for diplomatic consensus” by prioritising outcomes over optics. By proposing initiatives that marry technology with tradition, Modi has not only burnished India’s image but catalysed actionable global change—from skilling Africa’s youth to fortifying supply chains.
As the world grapples with fragmentation, Modi’s diplomacy offers a blueprint– multilateralism rooted in equity, where the Global South’s 85% population claims its due. Looking ahead, with Brazil’s 2026 presidency, PM Modi’s legacy will endure through sustained advocacy for reforms—UNSC expansion, climate finance, and AI governance. India’s diplomatic ascent under Modi signals a multipolar era where Eastern wisdom tempers Western dominance. In Johannesburg’s echo, one hears the mantra — India’s rise lifts all boats, forging a family of nations for generations to come.
Clearly, Prime Minister Modi’s G20 playbook — proactive proposals, bridge-building bilaterals, and Global South solidarity, have elevated India from “rule taker to rule maker”. Modi’s Johannesburg triumphs and G20 odysseys in the past many years highlight a resurgent India that is confident, compassionate, and consequential. An India that is resilient, responsible, and unflappable.
