G20 from the backroom: Amitabh Kant on navigating crises and consensus

Kant describes with ill-concealed glee how slack-jawed reporters reacted when a joint communique was indeed accepted as the New Delhi declaration of the G20

How India scaled Mt G20: The inside story of the G20 Presidency

Author: Amitabh Kant

Publisher: Rupa

Pages: 231

Price: Rs 595

 

Why was Amitabh Kant so important to the G20, the presidency of which India held in 2023? He was selected Sherpa (“the personal representative of leaders of the G20, drawing inspiration from high altitude guides of the Himalayas”), he says, because of his work as joint secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, during a period of “policy paralysis” (usually conflated, rightly or wrongly, with the Manmohan Singh government) when economic uncertainty made decision-making “sluggish” (bear in mind this was the time of the global financial crisis  of 2008). Mr Kant saw the management of the crisis first hand and the effect global uncertainty could have on the economies of countries such as India. But what gave him the advantage of reconciling seemingly irreconcilable interests was his tenure as chief executive officer in the NITI Aayog, where he saw how structures “designed primarily by and for the interests of developed countries” failed in emerging economies. The job was offered to him by Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally just as he finished his tenure at NITI Aayog.

 

India assumed the presidency of G20 at a time when the world was in the throes of multiple crises: The pandemic and post-Covid recovery, the Russia-Ukraine war and high energy and food prices that followed, the fallout of the US’ exit from the Paris Agreement on climate change (guess what, we’re there again!) and India’s own bilateral problems with China that many feared would infect the multilateral event. He does not explain why India, given the chance of hosting the presidency earlier, turned it down and wanted it deferred, not once but twice.

 

The most valuable element in the book is the backroom story of how India navigated all the geopolitical tensions to produce a joint statement and Mr Kant’s own stewardship of the negotiation. He is generous in recognising his team members by name and the role they played in ironing out spot disputes as well as disputes in the wording and language of the drafts.

 

This is the first time details have been made public about how agreements were hammered out at the level of Sherpas and later at the summit level. As Mr Kant notes, G20 was a complex global dance “where each step required deft coordination and diplomatic finesse”. But a Sherpa also needed to be blunt and unyielding sometimes. Mr Kant says he polished a number of negotiating skills with his team: He created a “Friends of Sherpa” team of retired Foreign Service officials to navigate intergovernmental negotiations, the minefield of Russia-Ukraine relations, climate policy and cultural sensitivities of Europe.

 

But this was not enough. The Sherpa had to think on his feet once the negotiations started. The overall theme of India’s G20 presidency was warm and fuzzy with the Prime Minister’s pet projects like  Amrit Kal, Nari Shakti  and advancement of millet thrown in with Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Not unnaturally, the primary preoccupation of most members was not the kutumb but how they could advance their position in it. In G20, India saw the opportunity to redefine the Global South and emerge as its voice. The inclusion of the African Union in the G20 at New Delhi was one step in that direction. 

 

Amid gloomy predictions that no joint statement would emerge during the presidency, it needed every negotiating skill to ensure members were on board in a draft that was short but acceptable to all— because G20 only takes decisions by consensus, not voting. Saudi Arabia felt there was no climate change “crisis” but a climate change “challenge”. China opposed all issues where India-led terminology was used. France wanted to include a mention of the Olympic Games 2024. Why not other games? Mr Kant suggested the draft include the 2023 Cricket World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup as well! The square bracket (to denote contentious words or phrases) became Mr Kant’s biggest headache, it meant there was no agreement.

 

Mr Kant perfected using the silk glove as well as the iron hand. He used his team for a Good Cop-Bad Cop routine on the Russia-Ukraine issue, slipping in the Indian perspective and highlighting India’s adeptness in bringing everyone together under a common purpose. The summit was just days away but there was no agreement in sight. The PM was asking for urgent situation reports every two hours. Finally, on September 8, 2023, at the Sherpa level, it was “take it or leave it”. Russia wanted changes in the draft almost everyone had agreed to, but many Western countries were also asking that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy be invited to speak. India played its card: Either Russia agreed to the draft or else the first speaker after PM Modi would be Mr Zelenskyy. Russia backed down.

 

But it ain’t over till the fat lady sings. China said it wouldn't agree to the draft for a number of reasons. This was a new twist.

 

To find out how Mr Kant and team played that one, you have to read the book. But he describes with ill-concealed glee how slack-jawed reporters reacted when a joint communique was indeed accepted as the New Delhi declaration of the G20. The book is an outstanding, unpretentious and honest account of a historic meeting, including Mr Kant’s adoration, not just admiration, of the leadership qualities of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.