South African Government News Agency (SA news)  January 22, 2025

   The President told world leaders that South Africa will focus its G20 Presidency on three themes – namely solidarity, equality and sustainable development.

   He emphasised the country’s commitment to advancing a just energy transition, fostering inclusive growth and addressing global inequalities. 

   “As a leading forum for international economic cooperation, the G20 plays an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on major international economic issues,” the President said and pointed out that the G20 is being hosted on the African continent for the first time in history.

   “This is a moment of great significance for South Africa, the African continent and the world in that it was in Africa where humans developed the capacity and the impulse for cooperation.

   “Cooperation has been one of the key markers of human development touching on many aspects of life, from survival and social organisation to technological and cultural progress, which is what the G20 was established for – to foster cooperation to deal with the challenges the world faces. Cooperation is the bedrock of human civilisation,” President Ramaphosa said.

   He referred to former President Nelson Mandela’s speech at the WEF annual meeting 33 years ago, when Tata Madiba said: “Our interdependence, bringing us together into a common global home, across the oceans and the continents, demands that we all combine to launch a global offensive for development, prosperity and human survival.”

  “It is South Africa’s firm view that these themes can best be taken forward through the collective actions of institutions like the G20 and various multilateral institutions of the world, especially the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation and global financial institutions, which should be reformed and be more representative and responsive to the needs of the citizens of the world. 

   “We will seek to get the G20 to focus more on how we can enhance solidarity through collective efforts to ensure that in the pursuit of progress for all, no person and no country is left behind,” the President said.

   He said one of the greatest impediments to growth, development and stability is the persistence of inequality within and between countries. The pursuit of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on reducing inequality is as much of an economic imperative as it is a social imperative, he added.

   “As the G20, we need deliberate and coordinated efforts to focus on inclusive growth based on responsive trade and investment to grow the incomes of poor nations and the poorest in society and to ensure equal access to opportunities especially for women and young people.

   “For nations to flourish, equality and prosperity must be available to everyone – regardless of gender, race, religious beliefs or economic status,” he said.

   South African President underscored the need for enhanced climate financing, urging global financial institutions to redirect unused Special Drawing Rights to support developing economies, particularly in Africa and the Global South.

   He called for innovative financing mechanisms and private capital to scale sustainable development, urging global institutions to derisk and support financing for emerging markets.

   Highlighting South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Partnership, the President said: “We must accelerate the transition to low-carbon economies in a manner that is just and inclusive, while recognising the damage that climate change has already caused.”

   He called for special financing and insurance mechanisms to support post-disaster reconstruction, particularly in vulnerable regions. He said another priority is to harness critical minerals for inclusive growth and development.

   Ramaphosa highlighted Africa as the next frontier of global growth, with its abundant natural resources, young population and expanding markets and called for G20 support for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Adjustment Fund, investments in infrastructure, youth skills development, and women’s economic empowerment.

   He said the seeds of human progress were sown in Africa, where the earliest forms of cooperation were forged and developed.

   “As the leaders of the G20 return to Africa, we make a call that we all harness these essential capabilities that will make us take action to build a better and fairer world. We intend that the G20 in Johannesburg this year should be a forum where cooperation and collaboration amongst the leading economies in the world will be taken to a higher level.

   “Acting together, we should build an inclusive, just and equal world in which all may prosper, leaving no one and no country behind. I look forward to welcoming you to the G20 in Johannesburg later this year.