Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over the G20 Presidency to Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and officially announced the conclusion of the two-day G20 Summit being hosted in New Delhi.
The leaders participated in a tree planting ceremony at Bharat Mandapam's South Plaza and also made visits to Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi. Now, as the summit ends, leaders will host a final round of bilaterals before jetting off for their respective home nations.
Here are the highlights of the day so far:
Leaders Pay Homage at Rajghat
On a rainy Sunday morning, ahead of the concluding session of the G20 Summit themed 'One Future', world leaders paid a visit to Raj Ghat to honor Mahatma Gandhi.
Welcoming each leader individually, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented them with a Khadi angavastram or stole, standing in front of the backdrop of Bapu Kuti, an image that holds historical significance.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, UK PM Rishi Sunak, Australian PM Anthony Albanese, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other heads of state and international organisations observed a minute of silence and lay a wreath at Delhi's Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi.
Bapu Kuti, situated near Wardha in Maharashtra, served as Gandhi's residence from 1936 until his passing in 1948, revered as the final dwelling place of the Father of the Nation.
US President Joe Biden, UK PM Rishi Sunak, Italian PM Georgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazilian President Lula De Silva, and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, among others, paid their respects to Gandhi.
Also in attendance were leaders from international organizations including World Bank Chief Ajay Banga and UN Secretary-General Guterres. Notably absent were Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
At 9 am, the leaders, led by PM Modi, walked barefoot to the main memorial to lay a wreath at Gandhi’s Samadhi, accompanied by a live rendition of his beloved devotional songs, including "Vaishnava Jan To".
UK PM Rishi Sunak, Akshata Murthy Visits Akshardham Temple
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy visited the Akshardham temple in New Delhi early morning on Sunday, 10 September, ahead of the final day of the G20 Summit.
Amid the heavy rains Sunak and Murthy arrived at the temple at 6:30 am and were guided through the premises by temple priests, who provided them with an overview of the Swaminarayan Akshardham, a spiritual and cultural complex that sprawls 100-acres.
Sunak's visit to Akshardham came two days after he landed in India for his first official visit, Sunak expressed his desire to visit a temple and spoke of the pride he takes in his Indian heritage and
He stated, "I am hugely proud of my Indian roots and my connections to India ... being a proud Hindu means I will always have a connection to India and the people of India,"
PM Modi Concludes Summit, Hands Over Presidency to Brazil
Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over the gavel, symbolic of the G20 Presidency, to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. With that, the G20 Summit being held in Delhi has come to a close.
At the closing ceremony of the G20 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said:
"As you all know India has the responsibility of G20 presidency till November 2023. In these two days, all of you gave a lot of suggestions and placed proposals. It is our duty that the suggestions we have received be reviewed once again so as to see how their progress can be sped up. I propose that at the end of November, we hold a virtual session of G 20. We can review the topics decided in this Summit, in that virtual session...I hope you all will connect in the virtual session...With this, I declare the conclusion of G 20 session."PM Narendra Modi
After PM Modi handed over the G20 Presidency to Brazil, the country's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that it will have three priorities:
"First, social inclusion and fight against hunger. Second, energy transition and sustainable development in its three aspects...Third, the reform of global governance institutions. All these priorities are part of the Brazilian presidency motto which says 'Building a fair world and a sustainable planet'."
President Lula da Silva added that two task forces -- 1) Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, and 2) Global Mobilisation against Climate Change -- will be created to work towards these priorities.
Rishi Sunak Announces $2 Billion Climate Aid Commitment
UK PM Rishi Sunak announced a record climate aid commitment as the G20 Summit in Delhi came to a close.
"The UK will provide $2 billion to the Green Climate Fund which is the biggest single funding commitment the UK has made to help the world tackle climate change. The UK will contribute £1.62 billion ($2 billion) to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which was established by 194 countries following the Copenhagen Accord at COP15," the British High Commission in India said, news agency ANI has reported.
Sunak called on leaders to work together ahead of the COP28 Summit this December to both reduce their countries’ carbon emissions and support vulnerable economies to deal with the consequences of climate change, the British High Commission in India stated.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)