New Delhi:The African Union on Saturday became a permanent member of the G20 group after Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally announced its inclusion during his initial remarks at the G20 Summit in New Delhi."It is in the spirit of Sabka Saath that India had proposed that the African Union be given permanent membership in the G20. I believe that we all agree on this proposal," the Prime Minister said.
Modi said: "With the consent of all of you, I invite the Chairman of the African Union to take his seat as a permanent member of G20".
After the announcement, President of the Union of Comoros and chairperson of the African Union (AU), Azali Assoumani took his seat as the Union became a permanent member of the G20.
The AU comprises 55 nations, and its inclusion in the G20 would mark a significant milestone, making it the second-largest group of nations within the G20, following the European Union.
In his inaugural remarks, during Session-1 of the G20 Summit on 'One Earth', the Prime Minister called upon the world to transform the global trust deficit into one of trust and reliance.
Prime Minister Modi said, "This time of the 21st century is an important time which is showing a new direction to the whole world and giving a new direction".
"This is the time when age-old challenges are demanding new solutions from us. Therefore, we have to move forward by fulfilling all our responsibilities with Human Centric Approach" Modi further added.
“Be it the divide between North and South, the distance between East and West, management of food and fuel, terrorism, cyber security, health, energy or water security, we will have to find a solid solution to this for future generations,” he added.
Highlighting the challenges posed during the COVID pandemic, the Prime Minister said, "We must remember that if we can defeat a pandemic like COVID, we can also win over the challenge of this trust deficit"
"Today, as the President of the G20, India calls upon the entire world to transform this Global Trust Deficit into trust and confidence" he added.
Before the start of the summit, Prime Minister Modi expressed his sympathy for the people of Morocco affected due to the devastating earthquake in Morocco.
"I want to express my condolences over the loss of lives due to an earthquake in Morocco. We pray that all injured recover at the earliest. India is ready to offer all possible assistance to Morocco in this difficult time", he added. (UNI)<>