Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will travel to Johannesburg, South Africa, from November 21–23, 2025, to participate in the 20th G20 Leaders’ Summit, which is being hosted by the Republic of South Africa under its G20 Presidency.
The 2025 Summit, the first ever G20 Leaders’ Summit to be held on African soil, carries the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”. It will also mark the fourth consecutive G20 Summit hosted in the Global South, following Indonesia (2022), India (2023), and Brazil (2024).
During the visit, the Prime Minister will present India’s views on key items on the G20 agenda. He is expected to address all three plenary sessions of the Summit:
- Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth Leaving No One Behind: Building economies, the role of trade, financing for development, and the debt burden.
- A Resilient World – the G20’s Contribution: Focusing on disaster risk reduction, climate change, just energy transitions, and food systems.
- A Fair and a Just Future for All: Addressing critical minerals, decent work, and the governance of artificial intelligence.
On the sidelines of the Summit, Prime Minister Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with several leaders attending the event. He will also participate in the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Leaders’ Meeting being hosted by South Africa.
India continues to attach high importance to the G20 process. During its own G20 Presidency in 2023, India had successfully facilitated the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of the G20.
The Summit is being held with several major members announcing that they will not be represented at the leaders’ level. The United States has announced a complete boycott, citing concerns over alleged persecution of white Afrikaners and land policies in South Africa. Donald Trump described hosting the event in South Africa as “a total disgrace.”
Argentina is also boycotting the summit, while China, Mexico, and Russia will be represented by deputies of their heads for various reasons. South African authorities have emphasised that the summit will proceed with full participation from the majority of G20 members and invited guests. It stated that the G20 is “too big to fail”.
