Inside G20 Summit 2023 negotiations: Amitabh Kant reveals how India secured 'consensus' on Delhi declaration

An hour before the G20 Summit began on September 9, 2023 in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inquired about the status of the leaders' declaration. When Sherpa Amitabh Kant informed him that there were still some issues, Modi emphasized the urgency, requesting a "consensus" outcome as soon as possible.

In response, Kant quickly gathered the other Sherpas and worked to secure the final agreement.

These behind-the-scenes efforts are detailed in Kant's new book, How India Scaled Mt G20: The Inside Story of the G20 Presidency.

India achieved a significant diplomatic victory when the G20 summit adopted a consensus declaration, overcoming major disagreements over the Russia-Ukraine war.

Modi announced the consensus and the adoption of the 37-page declaration at the start of the second session on the summit's opening day. Kant reflects that the journey from initial principles to the final draft of the New Delhi G20 Leaders' Declaration (NDLD) was anything but straightforward.

"The text continued to face constant revisions and objections after 300 hours of negotiations over 250 bilateral meetings. The weight and seriousness of the negotiations were felt by all participants, but the pursuit of a mutually agreeable outcome still seemed far from reach," he writes in the book, published by Rupa.

"PM Modi was acutely aware of the stakes involved. He had asked me to send him urgent situation reports every two hours, a task that demanded immense multitasking and quick analysis. This constant communication kept PM Modi informed, but also spurred us into action, helping us map out the negotiations and take stock of our progress," he adds.

Kant reveals that Russia insisted on including the word "sanction" in the declaration, which triggered extensive discussions. He spent two-and-a-half hours negotiating with Alexander Pankin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, to convince them to reconsider.

"The stakes were high, as refusal to compromise would have left Russia isolated with a 19-1 vote against it. We finally had to tell Russia that this was not feasible and would not be accepted by other countries. We made it abundantly clear to Russia that its insistence on this matter put significant pressure on India and made it impossible for us to move forward," he recalls.

Kant shares that during the negotiations, the G7 countries pressured India to invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but India maintained its position of keeping the guest list exclusive to G20 leaders.

"On Dr Jaishankar's advice, I had to inform the Russian negotiator that if they didn't agree, the first speaker following PM Modi's speech would be Zelenskyy. This bold and assertive negotiation tactic ultimately worked, and Russia relented," he says.

However, another challenge arose, according to Kant. The head of the Chinese delegation raised a bilateral issue with the US regarding a part of the G20 declaration that stated the 2026 Summit would be hosted in the US. The Chinese Sherpa explained that the US had refused to grant visas, even to their governor in Hong Kong. They insisted on a written guarantee for visa issuance before agreeing to the geopolitical paragraphs in the declaration.

Kant recalls that around 8 a.m. on September 9, Modi visited the Bharat Mandapam for an inspection before the leaders' meeting began.

"I was to brief him on our progress so far. When he enquired about the Leaders' Declaration, I outlined the conflict between the US and China and informed him that the NDLD was still not finalized. He paused for a moment, wondering as to why bilateral issues were being raised in a multilateral meeting, before replying that he did not want to get into the procedures or the process, but wanted to see the result - a consensus – very soon. He expected the Sherpa to navigate and secure the final agreement," the book says.

The leaders' meeting began at 9 a.m., while Kant engaged in parallel negotiations in a separate session from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in a room adjacent to the Leaders' Hall at the Bharat Mandapam.

"I, along with (US Sherpa Mike) Pyle and Li (Kexin, head of the Chinese team), hammered out the details of the letter. We opted to use the term 'ensure' instead of 'guarantee'. By noon, we had successfully resolved this bilateral matter, even though technically it was beyond the scope of India's role as G20 Chair. With China's consent, and both of America's conditions met, Russia, the US, China, the G7, and all countries were finally on board," Kant writes.

A consensus was reached on the first day of the Leaders' Summit, unlike at the 2022 Bali Summit, where negotiations on the declaration text stretched until the final hours. Kant describes this achievement as "no small feat."

Following lunch on September 9, Modi made the official announcement of the declaration.

Kant's book details how India, once seen as a developing power, rose to take a leading role on the global stage, offering solutions, forging alliances, and leaving a lasting legacy that reflects the aspirations of both developed and developing nations. The book includes a foreword by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.