Indian diplomats tirelessly conducted more than “200 hours of continuous negotiations” to achieve consensus in the G20 leaders’ declaration on Saturday. The group had been grappling with significant disagreements on various issues, including the Ukraine conflict and climate change. However, thanks to the exceptional efforts of a talented team, India successfully averted a major diplomatic crisis.
The most intricate aspect of the entire G20 summit involved securing consensus on the geopolitical sections, particularly regarding the Russia-Ukraine situation. This arduous task required over 200 hours of non-stop negotiations, involved 300 bilateral meetings, and went through 15 drafts. G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant acknowledged the invaluable contributions of two outstanding officers, joint secretaries Eenam Gambhir and Nagaraj Naidu Kakanur.
India ultimately achieved an unexpected consensus among G20 member countries on this contentious issue, thanks to a series of intense negotiations. Emerging economies like Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia played pivotal roles in facilitating this breakthrough. These three nations also played key roles in drafting the text that garnered approval from every member nation.