African Union becomes the permanent member of G 20
Summit and Conference
4 min read
The African Union which represents all 55 African countries has become the newest member of the G-20 . This was announced by prime minister Narendra Modi in his inaugural speech at the 18th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit 2023 meeting being held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi on 9th September 2023.
In a symbolic gesture to signify the occasion the prime minister Narendra Modi invited the chairman of the African Union (AU) Azali Assoumani to take his seat as a permanent member of the grouping. The African Union was till now a non permanent member of the G -20 .
This is the first time since its inception in 1999 that a new member is being included in G20.
The 8th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit 2023 meeting is being held in New Delhi on 9 and 10 September 2023.
Members of G20
G 20 is a group of developed and developing countries which was set up in 1999 . Before the New Delhi summit the G-20 had 20 permanent members .
Permanent Members of the G20
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union. The European Union is an intergovernmental body of 27 European countries.
Non- Permanent members of G20
The non permanent members of G20 are ;
International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the United Nations (UN), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Labour Organization (ILO) ,Financial Stability Board (FSB), Association of SouthEast Asian Nation ( ASEAN), and NEPAD(New Partnership for Africa's Development).
African Union
African Union is an Intergovernmental organsiation of all 55 African countries . It was set up in 2022 to promote unity and solidarity of African countries and to further economic development, and international cooperation amongst the African countries.
It replaced the Organisation of African Unity(OAU) which was set up in 1963 as an intergovernmental organisation of the newly independent African countries.
The credit for the idea of African Union is given to the former Libyan leader Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi. Muammar al-Qaddafi proposed the creation of an African organisation similar to the European Union which will focus more on economic integration of the African countries and creation of a common African parliament.
In 1999 the OAU leaders issued the Sirte(place in Libya) declaration which called for the setting up of the African Union .
The African Union (AU) was officially launched in July 2002 in Durban, South Africa.
The headquarters of the African Union is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Chairman of the African Union : Azali Assoumani, President of Comoros .
