Ramaphosa sets agenda for SA's historic G20 presidency
President Cyril Ramaphosa has outlined South Africa’s key priorities during its year at the helm of the G20 group of countries.
The president officially launched the country's G20 presidency in Cape Town on Tuesday.
It marks the first time an African nation has led the global forum.
Ramaphosa said the country will prioritise Africa’s development agenda, including climate change resilience, debt sustainability for low-income countries, and financing for a just energy transition.
"Working together with G20 members and building partnerships across society, South Africa will seek to harness global will and capabilities to confront these challenges.
“We all seek to achieve more rapid, inclusive and economic growth. We all seek a more just and equal world, and a world in which poverty and hunger are eradicated.
“We all seek to avert the worst effects of climate change and to preserve our planet for future generations. The G20 provides us with a platform to pursue these collective goals.”
Ramaphosa said South Africa will focus on tackling global economic and social challenges.
"We aim to break down divisions of economic status, gender, race, geography or any other characteristic. Sustainability involves meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
“In line with our theme, we will seek to strengthen and advance the international effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030," he said.
He highlighted pressing global challenges, including climate change, poverty, and geopolitical instability that all need attention.
"We will use our G20 Presidency to secure urgent progress on shared goals through a number of priority actions.
“First, we must take action to strengthen disaster resilience.
“The increasing rate of climate-induced natural disasters is affecting countries around the world, with a devastating impact on those countries that cannot afford the costs of recovery and rebuilding.
We will elevate this issue to the leader level, calling for the global community, including international financial institutions, development banks and the private sector, to scale up post-disaster reconstruction," said Ramaphosa.
The year will culminate in the Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg in November.
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