African Union’s inclusion in G20 could become a reality: Officials

There has been no disagreement thus far among various G20 nations over the African Union’s inclusion into the global group, officials aware of the development said on the sidelines of the 3rd Sherpa Meeting being held in Hampi.

Bringing the AU to the table has been one of the main agendas India has been pushing for after Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote to his counterparts proposing the union be given full membership of the grouping at its September summit in New Delhi.

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"It will be difficult for anyone to oppose this proposal," said a senior official, adding that a concrete decision may only be reached in the final declaration when the G20 heads of states meet in New Delhi later this year.

The push for AU’s inclusion has received significant momentum after India hosted the 'Voice of the Global South Summit' earlier this year to ascertain the needs of developing nations that it could pitch to leading countries during its G20 presidency. Major economies including the US, France, Japan, and China, have also backed the proposal.

The AU is made up of 55 countries from the African continent, and a G20 membership will give the union voting rights within the bloc, possibly enhancing the continent’s presence on the global stage. Even as the AU has been a regular invitee to summit gatherings since 2010, as of now, only South Africa is part of the Group of 20 nations.

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The union’s current chair, Senegalese president Macky Sall had in July 2022 voiced concerns over the lack of representation that the continent has received on the global stage, even as some of the most pressing issues like climate change, security and debt are ones Africa is especially affected by, and the “gap in African representation can weaken the G20’s credibility, traction, and representativeness,” he had written at the time.

It is unclear if G20 will be named G21 if the AU receives full and permanent membership, but officials said this is a branding nomenclature issue that shouldn’t be given much attention.