G20 Summit 2023: African Union is now officially part of G20 as India's proposal gains acceptance

The African Union, a continental body of 55 member states, will now enjoy the same status as the European Union - the only regional bloc with a full membership.

The African Union on September 9 joined the G20 after all member countries accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposal to bring this key bloc of the global south to the elite group of world’s top economies.

"With support from all of you, I invite African Union to join G20,” PM Modi said amid thunderous applause by world leaders at the Summit.

The African Union is a continental body of 55 member states. It now has the same status as the European Union - the only regional bloc with a full membership of the G20 - as against its current designation of "invited international organisation".

Modi said the move to include African Union as a permanent member of the G20 Family will strengthen the G20 and also strengthen the voice of the Global South.

Catch the G20 Summit 2023 LIVE Updates here

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar later escorted President of the Union of Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union (AU), Azali Assoumani, to take his seat at the G20 high table.

Also Read | G20 Summit: PM Modi calls on world to turn global trust deficit into mutual faith

The inclusion of African Union into the G20 countries grants legitimacy to India's role as the voice of the Global South.

In an exclusive interview with Moneycontrol earlier this week, Modi said, “As soon as we became the President of the G20, we held the Voice of Global South Summit, which made it clear that we were a voice for the inclusion of those who felt excluded from the global discourse and institutional priorities.”

Infact, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant echoed the same sentiment when he said on September 8 that the New Delhi leaders' declaration at the end of the Summit will reflect the voice of Global South.

India is expected to pull all stops during the ongoing Leaders' Summit to bring all member nations on the same page to issue a joint statement, or communique even as the countries are deeply divided on the issues of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and food and energy security.