The African Union was officially adopted as part of the G20

The African Union was invited to join the big twenty at the opening of the G20 summit in New Delhi. Membership in it reinforces the role of the global south in the G20.
The African Union (AI) joined the G20. This was mentioned by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the opening of the G20sammit in New Delhi on Saturday morning, 9 September. "With your consent, I would like to invite the chairman of the African Union to take his place as a full member of the G20," Modi said. After that, the head of AI, Comoros President Azali Assoumani, approached the Prime Minister of India. 

The accession of the African Union to the G20 will strengthen the global South's role in the G20. So far, the only regional organization included in it is the European Union, with 27 member states.

The African Union includes 54 African states whose sovereignty is internationally recognized, as well as Western Sahara, whose statehood is disputed. Thus, AI represents the interests of 1.3 billion people. 

European Union response to the accession of the African Union to the G20 

The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Lyayen, welcomed the decision to admit the African Union to membership in the G20. "We are pleased to welcome the African Union as a member of the G20," von der Lyayen said in this regard. 

The G20 summit, opened in New Delhi, is attended by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov from Russia. For Russian President Vladimir Putin, a trip abroad is now a complex issue due to the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICRC).

Against the background of the war in Ukraine, it remains unclear whether a joint statement of its participants will be accepted at the end of the summit. Before the meeting, Ursula von der Lyayen announced the conditions for such a statement on ARD and ZDF. "It is important to follow the basic principles," he stressed, and explained that such principles, in particular, include the inviolability of borders, as well as the non - recognition of annexed territories. 

India, which currently chairs the G20, and China, which is a member of the G20, have not made specific statements condemning Russia's military actions in Ukraine.