South Africa vows to tackle global issues as G20 head

South Africa will leverage its G20 presidency to tackle pressing global challenges, including the lack of inclusive growth and climate change, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday.

After taking over from Brazil on Sunday, South Africa chose the theme "Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability" for its G20 presidency. Speaking in Cape Town at the launch event, Ramaphosa expressed concern that geopolitical instability, conflicts and wars continue to cause widespread hardship and suffering worldwide.

"Working together with G20 members and building partnerships across society, South Africa will seek to harness global will and capabilities to confront these challenges," he said.

"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."

In an interconnected world, the challenges faced by one nation affect all, Ramaphosa said. South Africa will advocate for fair treatment, equal opportunities, and stronger multilateral development banks while streamlining support for cooperation platforms and leveraging private capital, he added.

"In line with our theme, we will seek to strengthen and advance the international effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.We will use this moment to bring the development priorities of the African continent and the Global South more firmly onto the agenda of the G20. We will balance an ambitious development agenda against the need to achieve sufficient consensus on key issues. It is important for South Africa that our G20 Presidency is inclusive."

Debt sustainability

South Africa will prioritize climate change at the leadership level and call for the global community, including financial institutions and the private sector, to scale up post-disaster reconstruction, Ramaphosa said. It will raise debt sustainability for low-income countries, with many in Africa, where high debt hinders investment in key sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare and education.

The country will support the creation of a new engagement group, the Township20, which will highlight the creative, cultural, financial and innovative capacities of South Africa's township economies, he added.

Joseph Matola, acting program head for economic resilience and inclusion at the South African Institute of International Affairs, said South Africa's G20 presidency gives South Africa an opportunity to highlight issues affecting developing countries, particularly in Africa and the Global South.

South Africa is expected to push for concrete actions on poverty, Africa's development, debt vulnerabilities and climate change, Matola said.

The presidency comes after the African Union became a permanent member of the G20, which gives the AU and South Africa a stronger voice to advance Africa's agenda on the global stage, he added.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.