During his address at the G20 summit held for the first time in South Africa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a deep rethinking of the parameters of global development. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the G20 has shaped global finance and development for a long time, but the model currently in use has deprived a large population of resources.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa on Friday (November 21, 2025), where he is participating in the three-day G-20 summit to be held from November 21 to 23, 2025. During the G-20 summit, PM Modi addressed the session organized on the topic of ‘Inclusive and sustainable economic growth by taking everyone along’.

#WATCH Johannesburg, South Africa , Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the G-20 Summit

(Source: Reuters/Host Broadcaster Pool) pic.twitter.com/NtDmjfl0cF

— ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2025

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke at the G-20 summit

PM Modi said, ‘In the last several decades, G-20 has given direction to global finance and global economic development, but due to the parameters of development on which work has been done so far, a large population has been deprived of resources. At the same time, over-exploitation of nature has also been encouraged. Africa is a big victim of this. Today, when Africa is hosting the G-20 Summit for the first time, here we should reconsider the parameters of development.

Spoke at the first session of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, which focused on inclusive and sustainable growth. With Africa hosting the G20 Summit for the first time, NOW is the right moment for us to revisit our development parameters and focus on growth that is… pic.twitter.com/AxHki7WegR

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 22, 2025

He said, ‘One way for this lies in the values ​​of Indian civilization and that way is Integral Humanism. That means we have to see human, society and nature as an integrated whole. Only then will harmony between progress and nature be possible.

Many communities preserved their traditional lifestyle – PM Modi

PM Modi said, ‘There are many communities in the world who have preserved their traditional and eco-balanced lifestyle. These traditions not only reflect sustainability, but also reflect cultural knowledge, social unity and deep respect for nature.

He said, ‘India’s proposal is to create a global traditional knowledge repository under the G-20. India’s Indian Knowledge Systems Initiative can become its basis. This global platform will help in transmitting the collective knowledge of humanity to the future generations.

Also read: G-20 Summit 2025: Hug with Lula de Silva, joke with Meloni… PM Modi dominates the G-20 summit, watch video

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who reached the ongoing G-20 summit in South Africa, met leaders from different countries of the world. South African President Ramaphosa welcomed him with folded hands at the G-20 summit in Johannesburg. After this, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni also said hello to PM Modi with folded hands. During this time, a video has also surfaced of both the leaders laughing and joking.

#WATCH Johannesburg, South Africa , Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during the G-20 Summit

(Source: DD News) pic.twitter.com/a4DvBgOLmD

— ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2025

Apart from Meloni, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met politicians from many countries. He met Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Both of them hugged each other warmly. Silva was seen patting PM Modi’s back. PM Modi also hugged UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. PM Modi addressed the session of the G20 summit.

#WATCH Johannesburg, South Africa , Prime Minister Narendra Modi shares hug with several world leaders, including Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, at the G-20 Summit in Johannesburg

(Source: DD News) pic.twitter.com/yWNNal90jy

— ANI (@ANI) November 22, 2025

Discussion on relations between Italy and India

Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni and Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized the bilateral relations between India and Italy in their meeting. Issues related to security, trade, technology and energy were important in this. Also, issues like Ukraine crisis, climate change and world trade were discussed in detail. The meeting between Modi and Meloni in this G-20 conference was positive. Earlier, in June 2025, PM Modi had also met the Prime Minister of Italy during the 51st G7 Summit held in Kananaskis, Canada. Here both the leaders promised to strengthen cooperation and relations between India and Italy. Let us tell you, in September, PM Modi had called the Italian Prime Minister an extraordinary politician. Along with this, PM Modi had described Meloni’s autobiography as Mann Ki Baat, or thoughts from the heart.

The name of Italy’s PM Meloni’s autobiography is ‘I am Georgia’. In the foreword to the book, PM Modi stressed the strong ties between India and Italy, which are based on shared cultural values ​​– preservation of heritage, strength of community and celebration of womanhood as an inspiration. The Prime Minister of Italy had shared a picture congratulating PM Modi on his 75th birthday. Meloni has expressed support for the success of the AI ​​Impact Summit to be hosted by India in 2026.

US President Donald Trump is not participating in the G-20 summit. At the same time, the President of Russia has also not attended. China’s President Xi Jinping is also missing from the summit. PM Modi will meet many world leaders.

Why is this time’s G-20 special for India?

This time the G-20 conference is very important for India. In the year 2023, Africa was made a part of G-20 under the chairmanship of India. This is the first time that the G-20 summit is being organized in Africa. In the absence of America, Russia, and China, India is the prominent face in this conference.