International Relations(November 2025)

1. The G20 Summit in Johannesburg (Nov 21–23)

The 20th G20 Summit was historic, being the first held in Africa and the fourth consecutive summit hosted by a Global South nation.

• South Africa's Presidency: Theme — "Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability."
• India’s 6-Point Proposal: PM Modi proposed a "Technology-Led Empowerment" model over traditional aid, including:
  1. G20 Global Traditional Knowledge Repository: A digital library of ancient wisdom for modern health/science.
  2. G20 Africa Skills Multiplier: Training 1 million certified trainers to skill African youth.
  3. G20 Critical Minerals Circularity Initiative: A global framework for recycling and "urban mining" of rare earth metals.
  4. G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership: Sharing space data with developing nations for disaster management.
• The "US Boycott" Context: The summit saw a historic first—the US President abstained from attending (due to domestic political shifts), which allowed India and the IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa) grouping to dominate the agenda.

2. COP30 Climate Summit in Belém, Brazil (Nov 10–21)

Known as the "Amazon COP," this summit marked the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement.

• India’s Stance: India pushed for the "Belém Package", demanding that developed nations provide "Adequate and Predictable" climate finance before asking developing nations for higher mitigation targets.
• Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF): India joined Brazil's new initiative as an Observer, supporting a global fund to pay countries for preserving standing tropical forests.
• Just Transition Mechanism: A major outcome was the formal establishment of this mechanism, which India championed to ensure that the shift to green energy does not result in job losses for workers in traditional sectors like coal.

3. Bilateral "Thaw": India-Canada & India-Israel

• India-Canada (Johannesburg Sidelights): PM Modi and Canadian PM Mark Carney held their first substantive meeting since the 2023-24 diplomatic freeze.
  • Outcome: They agreed to resume talks for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), aiming for $50 billion in trade by 2030.
• India-Israel Strategic Dialogue (Nov 4): Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar visited New Delhi.
  • MoU: Signed a training agreement between foreign service institutes and discussed the "Gaza Peace Plan" and the I2U2 (India, Israel, UAE, US) cooperation.

4. Neighbourhood First: Bhutan & Maldives

• Bhutan (Nov 11–12): PM Modi visited Thimphu to finalize the Gelephu Mindfulness City rail connectivity projects. India offered its first-ever ₹4,000 crore Line of Credit for Bhutan's 13th Five-Year Plan.
• Maldives: India restructured the Maldives' debt, reducing their annual obligations by 40%, and extended a new $550 million concessional credit line to stabilize their economy.

5. India-Russia: The Maritime & Arctic Push

• High-Level Maritime Consultations (Nov 17): Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal met with Russia's Nikolai Patrushev in New Delhi.
• Key Outcome: The two nations finalized a roadmap for Shipbuilding and Port Development. Russia specifically invited India to increase its presence in the Arctic region and the Northern Sea Route (NSR) to build a resilient, non-Western logistics corridor.
• Preparation for Summit: This meeting set the stage for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit held in early December.

6. The "Johannesburg Reset": India-Canada (Nov 22)

• The Breakthrough: On the sidelines of the G20, PM Modi and Canadian PM Mark Carney officially ended the two-year diplomatic "freeze."
• ACITI Partnership: The leaders welcomed the adoption of the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) Partnership.
• Key Agreement: Both sides agreed to the early return of High Commissioners (already in motion) and set an ambitious goal to double bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030.

7. Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) Expansion

• New Member: During the 7th NSA-level meeting in New Delhi in November, Seychelles was officially inducted as a member of the Colombo Security Conclave.
• Current Members: India, Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and now Seychelles.
• Significance: This solidifies the "Security for All and Growth for All in the Region" (SAGAR) initiative, creating a unified maritime security front in the Indian Ocean.

8. India-Germany: 25 Years of Strategic Partnership

• Green Partnership (GSDP): German Parliamentary State Secretary Johann Saathoff concluded a visit to India on November 2.
• Solar Milestone: Germany reaffirmed a €10 billion funding commitment by 2030 for India's green transition. A major focus was the "Indo-German CEO Roundtable on Solar Energy," aiming to move solar manufacturing supply chains away from China and into India.

9. Multilateral Footnote: SCO & ASEAN

• SCO CHG (Moscow): EAM Jaishankar represented India at the SCO Council of Heads of Government. India successfully blocked a China-led proposal on "Alternative Trade Currencies," insisting on a consensus-based approach that respects national sovereignty.
• ASEAN-India Follow-up: Following the October summit, November saw the operationalization of the "ASEAN-India Fund for Digital Future," with India contributing $10 million to support digital public infrastructure in Southeast Asia.