Leaders of the world's 20 big economies ended the G20 summit in the Indian capital on Sunday to produce a consensus document and move forward on various issues.
The summit also formally admitted the African Union to the bloc to make the grouping more representative.
Russia-Ukraine war
G20 nations agreed that states cannot grab territory by force and highlighted the suffering of the people of Ukraine, but avoided direct criticism of Russia for the war.
The declaration was seen as an apparent softening from the position that the G20 took last year when it condemned Russia for the war and demanded that it withdraw from Ukraine.
Diplomats said Russia would never have accepted an outright condemnation and that it was still a successful outcome because everyone including Russia committed themselves to not seizing territory by force, Reuters news agency reports.
Host India along with Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa, played a key role in avoiding a fracturing of the G20 bloc over the Ukraine conflict, officials said, reflecting the growing power of the Global South developing nations in the group.
Another issue that came out prominently at the summit was the role Türkiye in brokering the Black Sea grain deal which helped the export much grains from Ukrainian ports.
The G20 leaders appreciated Türkiye's efforts on the Black Sea grain deal, according to a joint declaration.
African Union membership
At the summit, the African Union was formally made a permanent member of the G20 which until now only had South Africa as it’s only African member.
G20 says the entry of the AU would provide greater voice to the Global South within the bloc where the G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States) have long played a dominant role.
The move also came after the BRICs, another group dominated by China and Russia, was expanded allowing the entry of six new members including Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Transport links
Leaders of the United States, India and Saudi Arabia among others announced plans to set up rail and ports links between the Middle East and South Asia and eventually to Europe.
US President Joe Biden has called it a "real big deal" as the US seeks to counter China's Belt and Road push on global infrastructure by pitching Washington as an alternative partner and investor for developing countries at the G20 grouping.
A time frame for the project or who would bear the financial burden was not made known but it would be a transnational project that involved laying down railway lines in the Middle East and then connecting them to India by port.
Climate change
The G20 leaders agreed to pursue tripling renewable energy capacity globally by 2030 and accepted the need to phase-down unabated coal power, but stopped short of setting major climate goals.
The group did not provide any plan to amend existing policies and targets in order to achieve the target of ramping of renewables. It also said $4 trillion a year would be needed to pay for a green energy transition but did not lay out any pathway to it.
The deliberations of the G20 were being closely watched ahead of the COP28 UN climate summit in the United Arab Emirates later this year.
Change of Baton
For Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the leadership of the G20 has been a year-long opportunity to showcase India as an influential diplomatic and economic power, and drive investment and trade flows into the world's most populous country.
It has also provided him a platform to boost his standing at home as he seeks a third term in office in elections April next year. Modi's image has been on G20 billboards across the capital and in the vast and swanky new conference venue.
At the closing ceremony of the annual summit in New Delhi, India formally handed over the G20 presidency to Brazil.
India Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed the transition by handing over the ceremonial gavel of the presidency to Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday.
