G20 Summit kicks off today: Full schedule as world leaders meet at Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam

For the next two days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other world leaders will gather at sprawling Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan for the 18th G20 Summit beginning on Saturday, September 9.

With the national capital spruced up and partly emptied of people for the mega world event, the host, India, scrambled for last-minute agreement on vexed issues including the Ukraine war, climate and global governance.

United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres has already warned leaders that their differences risked stoking conflict and damaging public trust.

Even before it began, the importance of the G20 Summit was undermined when Chinese President Xi Jinping decided to skip the summit and sent his Premier Li Qiang instead.

While there was no official reason given for Xi’s absence, New Delhi and Beijing have been at loggerheads over a border dispute.

Modi, however, expressed confidence that the conclave will chart a new path in human-centric and inclusive development. Refusing to be drawn into the specifics of contentious issues such as the Russia-Ukraine war and climate-related topics, India’s top G20 officials told a news conference on the eve of the two-day summit that the Declaration was “almost ready” and they were hopeful of clinching a joint communique by consensus.

Here’s the full schedule of G20 Summit 2023:

Day 1 (September 9)

9:30am to 10:30am: Arrival of leaders and heads of delegations at the summit venue, Bharat Mandapam, followed by a welcome photograph with the Prime Minister at Tree of Life Foyer. Subsequently, leaders and heads of delegation assemble in Leaders’ Lounge, Level 2 at Bharat Mandapam.

10:30am to 1:30pm: The first session, called ‘One Earth,’ will take place at the Summit Hall at Bharat Mandapam, followed by a working lunch.

13:30am to 3:30pm: Various bilateral meetings will be held.

3:30pm to 4:45pm: The second session, ‘One Family,’ will take place in the summit venue after which the leaders return to their hotels.

7pm to 8pm: Arrival of leaders and heads of delegation for dinner, beginning with a welcome photograph on arrival.

8pm to 9pm: During dinner, the leaders will engage in talks over their meal.

9pm to 9:45pm: Leaders and heads of delegation will assemble in the Leaders’ Lounge at Bharat Mandapam to bring the day to a close.

Day 2 (September 10)

8:15am to 9am: Arrival of leaders and heads of delegations in their individual motorcades at Rajghat and a signing of the peace wall inside the Leaders’ Lounge at Rajghat.

9am to 9:20am: World leaders to lay wreaths at Mahatma Gandhi’s Samadhi followed by a live performance of Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite devotional songs. Subsequently, leaders and heads of delegations will move to the Bharat Mandapam’s Leaders’ Lounge.

9:40am to 10:15am: Arrival of leaders and heads of delegation at Bharat Mandapam.

10:15am -10:30am: Tree planting ceremony at Bharat Mandapam’s South Plaza.

10:30am to 12:30pm: The third session of the summit, called ‘One Future’, will take place at the venue followed by the adoption of the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration.

G20 Summit: Who is attending and who is not

Confirmed G20 attendees

Joe Biden

Rishi Sunak

Fumio Kishida

Justin Trudeau

Emmanuel Macron

Anthony Albanese

Olaf Scholz

Yoon Suk Yeol

Cyril Ramaphosa

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Who will be absent

Xi Jinping

Vladimir Putin

Pedro Sanchez

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador