By 
South Africa convened the G20 Foreign Minister’s meeting on Thursday, 20 February 2025, in Johannesburg, where a number of global issues came under the spotlight, including poverty and inequality across the world.
During his opening address, the President of South Africa H.E Cyril Ramaphosa reminded the meeting that the G20 is left with only five years to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the international body.
The G20 boasts a third of the world’s population and therefore makes it a powerful vehicle to address matters of inequality, poverty, climate change and geopolitical tensions amongst others.
Hosting the Foreign Minister’s meeting ahead of the G20 Leaders Summit later in the year as the Presidency of the G20, has put South Africa at a vantage point to advance the agenda or raise pressing issues affecting the African continent.
“It is significant that the G20 Leaders Summit later this year will be convened for the first time on African soil. This highlights the growing importance of the continent in global economic, political and environmental discussions.
Africa is home to some of the world’s fastest-growing economies and faces unique challenges, such as the impact of climate change, development needs and the effects of global trade dynamics. The Summit’s location underscores the need for African voices to be heard on critical global issues, like sustainable development, the digital economy and the shift toward green energy,” said President Ramaphosa.
The President alluded that it is a great opportunity for Africa to be able to sit at the table with some of the great economies in the globe and discuss global issues. He said collaboration amongst nations will help in resolving most of the challenges faced by the world.
Ramaphosa pointed out that Geopolitical tensions, rising intolerance, conflict and war, climate change, pandemics and energy and food insecurity threaten an already fragile global coexistence. He said these challenges are interconnected and cannot be tackled in isolation, but need inclusiveness and collaboration.
“Yet there is a lack of consensus among major powers, including in the G20, on how to respond to these issues of global significance. Extreme poverty and growing inequality within and among nations weigh heavily on the conscience of the world.
We are just five years away from 2030, the deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. As the international community, we committed ourselves to this ambitious agenda to end poverty and hunger, to protect the planet, to achieve gender equality, universal education and health coverage, and to promote decent work and sustainable economic growth,” said Cyril Ramaphosa.
“Our commitment to achieve these targets we must not waver. The nations of the world look to the G20 for leadership on the most pressing issues confronting our world. Just as cooperation supported the progress of early humans, our modern-day challenges can only be resolved through collaboration, partnership and solidarity.
That is why South Africa has placed solidarity, equality and sustainability at the centre of our G20 Presidency. We would like our G20 Presidency to be one in which all voices are heard and in which all views count,” he continued.
Cyril Ramaphosa further called for a reform on the international financial architecture to be more relevant and responsive to the world of toady and promote trade amongst nations in order to create an equal global society.
“We continue to call for the UN Security Council, the multilateral trading system and the international financial architecture to be reformed to make them more representative, more agile and more responsive to today’s global realities.
As the G20, it is critical that the principles of the UN Charter, multilateralism and international law remain at the centre of all our endeavours,” said the President.
