Leaders skipping global, G20 summits no reflection about host country: Sources

Ahead of the G20 Summit in India next week, reports suggested that some heads of state may skip the meeting, which is held annually to discuss global economics and draw up a strategy to revive global growth. In regard to this, the sources said that leaders skip global summits from time to time for their own reasons as it's not possible for every leader to attend every summit.

"In today's world with so many demands on the leaders' time, it's not always possible for leaders to attend every summit. Many leaders skip global meetings from time to time for their own reasons," said the sources citing the example of the 2021 G20 Summit in Italy, where there were no major health or geopolitical issues for the leaders to skip it. "The circumstances shaped the situation in a way that six countries attended below the Head of State (HoS) or Head of Government (HoG) level," they added. 

When leaders skipped G20 Summit in past

Referring to the 16 physical G20 Summits since 2008, except the one held in 2008 and 2009, the sources added that there has never been a single occasion from 2010 till now when every country attended the summit at the HoS or HoG level. They added that such instances where leaders skip the global summit don't reflect anything about the host country. 

Ever since 2008, there have been 16 physical summits of the G20, and one virtual summit hosted by Saudi Arabia in 2020. There were two summits each in 2009 and 2010. The sources claimed that there have been six occasions when one country was represented below HoS or HoG level- 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, and 2017. 

They added that on five occasions- 2010, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019, two countries represented themselves at the G20 Summit below the HoS or HoG level. In the 2022 summit held in Indonesia, which was hosted amid the Russia-Ukraine war, three countries were represented below the HoS or HoG level. 

All about G20 Summit 2023

The Group of Twenty (G20), a premier forum for international economic cooperation, was founded in 1999 after the Asian Financial Crisis as a stage for finance ministers and central bank heads to discuss financial issues. In 2023, India holds the presidency for the prestigious global summit, which is scheduled between September 9 and 10 in New Delhi. The theme of this year's G20 is 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' or 'One Earth, One Family, One Future.'