New Delhi: The resounding success of the recently concluded G20 summit has elevated Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the forefront of global leadership, surpassing even China's Xi Jinping, according to Jim O’Neill, the former chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management and the originator of the BRICS acronym.

Jim O’Neill also emphasized that the G20 Summit stands as the solitary assembly capable of proffering genuinely global solutions to the multifaceted challenges faced by nations worldwide.

In an insightful op-ed for Project Syndicate, the renowned economist extolled the G20's significance and contended that neither the BRICS nor the G7 possesses the capacity to confront the world's pressing issues.

"The joint declaration emanating from the recent G20 summit in New Delhi serves as irrefutable evidence of this assertion. Member states achieved unanimity in addressing an extensive array of concerns. Despite the palpable disparities in their operational approaches, they effectively reaffirmed the G20's relevance after a prolonged period of skepticism about its role," remarked Jim O’Neill.

Comparing the leadership styles of Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, O’Neill pointed out that Xi's conspicuous absence at the G20 summit had undermined the recent BRICS meeting's significance. Presently, he believes that Prime Minister Modi exhibits a more visionary statesmanship than Xi Jinping.

O’Neill extended his accolades to those who played pivotal roles, presumably India and the United States, in shepherding the final communiqué to fruition. The New Delhi declaration is seen as a potential catalyst for a more concerted global effort to address pressing issues such as climate change, the imperative restructuring of the World Bank, the management of infectious diseases, economic stability, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and a host of other critical matters.

G20 Leaders’ Declaration
Prime Minister Modi lauded the adoption of the G20 Leaders’ Declaration, declaring, “We have made history with the adoption of the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration.”

In the G20 declaration, world leaders acknowledged the paramount importance of G20 collaboration in determining the course of global affairs. They pledged to work collectively towards fostering global economic growth and upholding stability.

The declaration also issued a clarion call for immediate action on global challenges, including greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, drought, land degradation, and desertification, all of which imperil lives and livelihoods. The leaders furthermore committed to coordinated efforts to curb the surge in commodity prices, encompassing food and energy, while addressing global issues such as poverty, inequality, climate change, pandemics, and conflicts, with a special focus on their disproportionate impact on women, children, and the most vulnerable among us.

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