In Short:

• India at the G20 summit advances Global South development priorities
• US boycott reshapes G20 power dynamics
• India positions for strategic BRICS+ leadership

The G20 Summit 2025 at Johannesburg

The G20 Summit convened in Johannesburg on 22-23 November 2025, marking the first G20 meeting on the African continent, with India at the G20 Summit making its presence felt. South Africa adopted the theme “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability” for its Presidency. The South African G20 Presidency identified four high-level priorities: strengthening disaster resilience and responses, ensuring debt sustainability for low-income countries, mobilising finance for a just energy transition, and harnessing critical minerals to support inclusive and sustainable development.

The Summit unfolded against the backdrop of the US boycott, marking the first time any member has abstained from a G20 Summit since its formation in 1999. India at the G20 Summit reiterated its strong belief in amplifying the voice of the Global South within global governance structures. PM Modi described the African Union’s permanent membership in the G20, achieved at the New Delhi Summit in 2023, as a historic step and emphasised that this spirit of inclusivity must extend beyond the grouping to shape the future of global governance.

The US Boycott and its Geopolitical Implications

The summit presented a dual narrative: on the one hand, it experienced an unprecedented rupture in multilateral governance due to the United States’ total boycott; on the other hand, it showcased the operational resilience and increasing assertiveness of the Global South. The US boycott of the summit by the Trump administration cited false claims of human rights abuses against the White Afrikaner minority in South Africa. Fundamentally, the decision was rooted in deep-seated geopolitical friction, particularly Washington’s opposition to the South African Presidency’s agenda, which centered on climate action and global inequality.

However, the absence of the world’s largest economy did not lead to a consensus crisis. On the contrary, the majority bloc, championed by the Global South Troika (Brazil, India, South Africa), seized the opportunity to recalibrate the G20’s agenda towards long-standing developmental concerns. With the United States’ absence, the negotiations reflected a growing alignment among emerging economies and middle powers, enabling them to push towards a more inclusive governance framework.

This shift was evident in the emphasis on equitable access to climate financing, the call for restructured debt frameworks, and the prioritisation of sustainable industrialisation through critical minerals. The South African Presidency aimed to strategically amplify the developmental needs of the continent and fast-track the implementation of Agenda 2063.

India at the G20 Summit: Vision of Inclusive Growth and Shared Responsibility

India at the G20 Summit, as voiced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, voiced its vision strongly, one that placed equity, solidarity, and shared global responsibility at the forefront. India advocated for equitable growth, emphasising that vulnerable economies need fairer access to international markets and financial instruments. PM Modi brought attention to the increasing sovereign debt in many developing nations.

India emphasised the need for a development finance architecture that empowers vulnerable economies by supporting their journeys towards stability and prosperity, rather than straining those most in need. Elaborating on India’s vision for growth and well-being that includes all, PM Modi proposed expanding collaboration in areas such as traditional knowledge, healthcare, critical minerals, satellite data access, capacity building in Africa, and coordinated action against the drug-terror nexus, underlining that these would help secure long-term peace, resilience, and sustainable development.

Democratising the Digital Commons Through Technology Access

PM Modi proposed the idea of a G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership to make satellite data more widely available to support agriculture, fisheries, disaster management, and urban planning, particularly in developing nations. This proposal resonated with African and Asian delegations. What India was arguing is that the lessons from global governance should go beyond acquiring knowledge about technology to sharing it. In doing so, New Delhi subtly reframed the idea of “developmental assistance,” shifting it from traditional handouts to technology-driven empowerment.

On artificial intelligence, India at the G20 Summit called for a global framework that encourages innovation while preventing misuse. India’s stance of autonomy and responsibility resonated among countries wary of being caught between China’s dominance and Western competition. PM Modi’s strong pitch at the G20 summit is: AI governance must not become a club of rich nations defining rules for the rest. Instead, democratic frameworks, open, inclusive, and globally representative, should shape the AI era. This offers an alternative to both unregulated technology free-for-all and exclusive models.

Critical Minerals: India Pushes for Strategic Autonomy

The discussions at the G20 Summit also included critical minerals, particularly their role in strengthening energy transitions worldwide and ensuring strategic autonomy. Drawing on the idea that “critical minerals are a shared resource of humanity,” as articulated by PM Modi at the summit, India highlighted the need for diversified and resilient mineral supply chains. As the global race for lithium, cobalt, and rare earth accelerates, India highlighted that mineral security cannot be left to a handful of dominant players.

This perspective aligns with India’s broader domestic strategy of expanding partnerships in Africa, Latin America, and Australia to reduce overdependence on any single source. This also helps India to reinforce its long-term strategic autonomy. India at the G20 Summit also proposed a Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative, aimed at recycling, urban mining, and second-life battery ecosystems, an approach intended to ease the pressure on primary mineral extractions while supporting sustainable industrial growth.

Looking Ahead: What Next for India?

India’s leadership and success at the G20 serve as an important stepping stone to its next major diplomatic milestone – assuming the BRICS Chairmanship in 2026. The G20 Johannesburg Summit solidifies India’s trajectory as a consensus builder and major strategic power operating independently within the multipolar global structure. The diplomatic space created by the US absence enabled India, alongside Brazil and South Africa, to advance a developmental agenda focused on equitable finance, resilient supply chains, and technology governance.

Geopolitically, the successful coordination among the Global South members strengthened their collective leadership, providing a strong counterbalance to the G7 dominance, particularly following the US boycott of the summit. The road ahead will test India’s ability to sustain diplomatic momentum, institutionalise the initiatives proposed at the Summit, and leverage South-South cooperation to shape a more equitable global order.

Going forward, India’s ability to harmonise G20 and BRICS priorities, particularly around debt reform, critical minerals, and digital public infrastructure, will determine how effectively it can shape the governance landscape of an increasingly multipolar world. The Johannesburg Summit, thus, acts not merely as a diplomatic success but also as a platform for India to consolidate leadership within a reconfigured architecture of global governance.

---

Dhritishree Bordalai is a Senior Research Associate (International Relations), and Kalyani S K is a Research Associate (International Relations) at the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), India.

Views expressed by the author are personal and need not reflect or represent the views of the Centre for Public Policy Research.