PM Modi departs Johannesburg after concluding his engagements at G-20 Leaders’ Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for New Delhi on Sunday, November 23, 2025, after attending the G-20 Leaders’ Summit and holding bilateral talks with various world leaders in Johannesburg.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leaving Johannesburg, South Africa, after successfully completing his duties at the G-20 Summit and meetings with world leaders,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in his social media post.

“The successful Johannesburg G20 will contribute to a prosperous and sustainable planet. My meetings and interactions with world leaders have been very productive and will deepen India’s bilateral ties with various countries,” Modi said in a post published on X.

“I want to thank the wonderful people of South Africa, President Ramaphosa and the South African Government for organizing the summit,” he added.

Mr Modi met on Sunday with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and their Jamaican and Dutch counterparts.

Mr Modi also held talks with International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.

Speaking earlier at the third session of the G-20 summit in Johannesburg, Modi called for a global agreement to prevent misuse of artificial intelligence and took a strong step towards making critical technologies human-centric rather than finance-centric.

Mr Modi also said that technology applications should be “global” rather than “national” and be based on “open source” rather than “proprietary models”.

Mr Modi also addressed the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) leaders’ summit and said reform of the UN Security Council was no longer an option but a necessity.

He suggested that the India-Brazil-South Africa troika should send a clear message to global governance institutions about making changes.

On Saturday, Mr Modi met his British counterpart Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, Brazilian President Lula da Silva and many other world leaders.

Mr Modi proposed a G-20 initiative aimed at advancing the clean energy transition by accelerating recycling, easing supply chain pressures and advancing joint research on critical minerals, and suggested a partnership to make satellite data more accessible and interoperable.

Mr Modi also called for a profound rethinking of global development parameters and suggested the establishment of a G20 initiative and a global health response team to counter the drug terrorism nexus.

Mr Modi arrived at Waterkloof Air Force Base (AFB) in Gauteng on Friday, where he received a warm and ceremonial welcome.

This was the first G-20 Summit held in Africa. The African Union became a member of the G-20 during India’s presidency in 2023.