Vikas Pandey
Reporting from G20

We are slowly getting more details on the G20 declaration.

Amitabh Kant, India's chief negotiator, said the declaration had 100% consensus on development and geo-political issues. He called the news "historic and pathbreaking".

We are yet to see the declaration but it's telling that Kant has mentioned 100% consensus on geo-political issues.

This could mean that Russia and the West finally agreed to the language used in the declaration to describe the war.

But what compromises have been made and who gave up what is yet to be seen.

For now, it's a triumphant occasion for India's G20 presidency.

Vikas Pandey
Reporting from G20

The war in Ukraine was expected to derail the possibility of a joint declaration - at least this was the sense until yesterday.

But Indian diplomats repeatedly said that negotiations were on to strike a compromise.

A strong indication of this came in an earlier draft of the declaration accessed by the BBC - it showed the paragraph on Ukraine was left blank.

The sticking point, like last year's G20 summit in Bali, was how the war in Ukraine was described in the declaration. The Bali statement was released after it noted Russia and China's objections.

India, however, was trying to work out a statement that all members agreed on.

The statement is yet to be released, so we are not sure what language has been used.

Stay tuned as we bring you more on this developing story.

Vikas Pandey
Reporting from G20

Image source, Getty Images

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the G20 has reached a consensus on the joint declaration.

He didn't give any details or release the statement.

There were doubts if a joint declaration would be possible due to the differences within the group over the war in Ukraine.

The absence of the Russian and Chinese presidents could make it a lot more difficult for the G20 leaders to reach a consensus, says Michael Kugelman, an analyst at the Wilson Center think-tank.

"That's because Russia and China would have the political capital and the diplomatic space to make concessions. But the stand-ins [sent on behalf of the leaders] would not have the ability or authority to make concessions or a compromise," he adds.

"So you're going to get very little from the Russian and the Chinese side, which could make things difficult for Delhi."

Watch the full interview:

In the run-up to the summit, Delhi underwent a beautification drive - which didn’t just mean creating colourful murals and cleaning roads, but also demolishing homes in some areas. How do the city’s residents see these measures?

Video by Anshul Verma and Antariksh Jain

Samira Hussain
Reporting from Delhi

Across from the newly-built G20 convention centre is a large area full of broken bricks, bits of concrete, and abandoned shoes and backpacks. It looks like debris, but a few months ago, people lived here. The government demolished their houses, saying the buildings were illegal.

But one woman I spoke to - Maya - said this wasn’t what she was told when her home was demolished. “They pulled down our homes and made us homeless. They said they wanted to clean up the area for the G20. They told us to move from here.”

Image source, Getty Images

Maya lives in an impoverished community made up of small concrete homes alongside open sewage drains. While so much money has been spent to clean up Delhi, places like this have not received any attention.

Niaz, though, doesn’t mind. “I feel it’s alright to spend all this money as these things are happening for the first time in India in 75 years of its independence. To achieve something, we have to lose something. To make a name, you will have to take a risk," he says.

Archana Shukla
India business correspondent

The summit could potentially be a pivotal moment for global financial issues.

India in its G20 presidency could be inching closer to a universal global framework for regulating cryptocurrency assets, with some progress among member countries.

But issues such as revamping institutions like the IMF and World Bank, and promoting financial inclusion through digital infrastructure still need a common consensus.

Businesses are closely watching trade talks at the summit as India aims to be a global supplier, drumming up support for investment and partnerships.

Experts say President Xi’s absence at the G20 summit might bode well for India, which is emerging as one of the fastest growing major economies as China slows down.

But even then, India may have to temper expectations on bilateral trade pacts, with Canada halting talks and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying these deals “always take time”.

In the last few minutes, French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived at Bharat Mandapam to join the other world leaders for the G20 summit. He is set to hold bilateral meetings with leaders including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during his stay in Delhi.

Jacky Martens
South Asia Bureau Chief, BBC News

South Africa is no longer the sole G20 representative of a continent of roughly 1.4 billion people.

The acceptance of the African Union as a permanent member means that the voices representing the continent become far more diverse.

Nigeria, Africa’s strongest economy, immediately welcomed the move, saying that "as a continent, we look forward to further advancing our aspirations on the global stage using the G20 platform".

The continent will hope that having a permanent seat at the table will strengthen its demands when it comes to reforming the global financial system. From the World Bank to the IMF, African countries have long felt that they get a raw deal when it comes to borrowing and debt repayments.

And as a new ‘cold war’ for influence once again engulfs the continent, India will see this as a win for its claim to be the voice of the Global South.

As the first day of the summit gets underway, security is tight across Delhi.

Streets are empty as schools and offices are shut and barricades have been put up on several key roads.

Restrictions are especially severe in central Delhi - where the summit venue is located - with numerous check points and hundreds of security personnel deployed to keep an eye on the goings-on.

That’s the headline of an editorial in Saturday's Chinese state-run newspaper The Global Times.

The paper is alluding to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan asking China to set aside its issues with India and play a "constructive role" in the summit. Earlier this week Mr Sullivan said it was up to China if it "wanted to play the role of a spoiler" instead.

“Before the summit, Washington inexplicably issued a 'warning' to China, urging it not to 'play the role of spoiler' at the G20 summit. In this regard, we would like to say that these words are quite accurate if we swap China with the US,” the paper said.

India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the US may sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to set up a shipping and railway corridor, according to reports.

It could also include the EU and other G20 countries.

US deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told news agency AP that the decision would help lower- and middle-income countries grow faster. But no other G20 country has commented on the news yet.

Analysts are seeing this as a counter to China's Belt and and Road initiative that has similar goals.

Navin Singh Khadka
Environment correspondent, BBC World Service

The theme “One Earth, One Family, One Future” that India chose for the G20 summit aptly connects with our planetary crises. With two-thirds of the world’s population living in member countries, it is not only impacted by the crises but is also largely responsible for them.

“Unsustainable production and consumption patterns in the G20 are driving the three environmental planetary crises (climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and waste),” said the UN’s Inger Andersen at a G20 meeting in July in India’s Chennai city.

An outcome document said all global environmental issues were discussed in detail at the meeting. But no concrete measures were announced. The leaders’ summit might see similar outcomes.

Chris Mason
Reporting from G20

Rishi Sunak will meet the summit host, Narendra Modi, soon.

The UK PM has said on this trip that there has been "tremendous progress" in sorting out a free trade agreement between his country and India.

The deal is seen by many as one of the most glittering of post-Brexit prizes. But Sunak says there are still negotiations that need to happen before the deal is done.

Samira Hussain
Reporting from G20

At the summit, journalists also get the chance to have sideline chats with attendees.

Naturally, the best conversations happen near the snacks table. It was mentioned to me that an Indian government official attached to a delegation said that India might make some mistakes in planning but “we will get the food right.”

The BBC's Nikita Mandhani gives a quick recap of the highlights of the summit so far.

Cherylann Mollan
Reporting from Mumbai

Let's take a quick break from geopolitical news to focus on food!

Soon, the first session will end and leaders will be breaking for lunch.

India has a reputation for hospitality and great food, and both are on display at the summit.

The Times of India reports that the leaders can choose from "an elaborate all-vegetarian menu" that includes dishes made with okra, potato and paneer (cottage cheese).

Luxury hotels - where the delegates are staying - have also enlisted more than 100 chefs to curate menus that highlight the best of Indian cuisine, including traditional dishes from across the country.

Guests can choose from more than 500 dishes during their two-day visit to the capital, and millets - an indigenous grain variety - will take centre-stage in the preparations.

Geeta Pandey
Reporting from Delhi

It’s not just the leaders who will have two busy days. Their spouses have an equally packed agenda. On their itinerary is a visit to the National Gallery of Modern Art where they will also be served lunch.

Later, they will visit an exhibition of Indian crafts. They will also be taken to Rajghat, a memorial to the Indian freedom icon Mahatma Gandhi, a must for any visiting dignitary.

But the highlight of their trip is expected to be the visit to a millet farm in Delhi’s Pusa area. India has been promoting these traditional coarse grains – which have been edged out of our plates by newer easier to cook rice and wheat - for several years now.

A government official has said that at the farm, the G20 spouses will see the nine millet varieties grown there, meet female farmers, attend a cooking class by celebrity chefs and feast on a meal prepared entirely from millets.

Image source, @IYM2023

Soutik Biswas
India Correspondent

“That is an $18tn economy snubbing a $3.75tn economy.”

That is what Happymon Jacob, a Delhi-based foreign policy expert, said on X (formerly Twitter) about Xi Jinping skipping the G20 summit. Mr Jacob wrote that China was also a “rising superpower” trying to show India “its place”. Also, “bothering not to give any reason for Xi’s absence is rubbing it in”. (Premier Li Qiang is leading China's delegation.)

The news came amid worsening relations between China and India. Among other things, the two countries are facing off against each other along their disputed border in the Himalayan region.

To be sure, nobody quite knows why Mr Xi is missing the summit. And with both him and Mr Putin not attending, forging a consensus will be difficult.

Image source, Getty Images

Yogita Limaye
Reporting from Delhi

Image source, Getty Images

From the start of the war in Ukraine, India has maintained a neutral stance while stating that this is "not an era of war" and a "peaceful resolution" must be found. Modi has met both Putin and Zelensky separately since the war began.

But Delhi has not invited President Zelensky - he had addressed last year’s Bali summit over video. India says it has only invited G20 members.

Analysts say the Modi government was hoping this might set the stage for President Putin to attend. But with the Russian leader skipping the summit, India’s efforts to project itself as a middle ground where the conflict could be resolved will not be realised.

But in case a consensus is not reached in the joint declaration with regards to what is said about the Ukraine war, it won’t be seen as a failure for India either.