By Hassan Isilow
South Africa on Monday held its first G20 meeting under its presidency which commenced Dec. 1, under the theme Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability.
Becoming the first African country to lead the group of powerful nations, it said its theme seeks to harness global will and capabilities to confront the enormous challenges facing the globe.
In his address at the opening of the first G20 Sherpas Meeting in Johannesburg, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola said South Africa will use its G20 presidency to secure urgent progress on shared goals through several priority actions.
"The first Sherpa meeting of the G20 is important traditionally, as it sets the stage for the upcoming presidency and the critical conversations on some of the most vital issues of our time," Lamola said.
He said some of their priorities include strengthening disaster resilience and response, ensuring debt sustainability for low-income countries, mobilizing finances for a just energy transition and harnessing critical minerals for inclusive growth and development.
The top diplomat also said the South African presidency will build on the past and set the tone for the future, as they must emphasize the need to adhere to universal values, shared norms and strong multilateral institutions.
"Now more than ever, multilateral institutions must be strengthened and reformed to deliver a broad global consensus and serve as platforms to resolve disputes," Lamola noted.
He said multilateral institutions with economic and developmental mandates must be strengthened, as the need for their intervention is even much bigger now.
"We all know that many countries, especially the developing world, are still recovering from the economic shock of COVID-19. Poverty and weak economic growth remain a challenge for many countries, especially in Africa and the developing world. Thus, the themes of our temporary task forces focus on these matters," Lamola said.
He said they will also use their G20 platform to shine the spotlight on Agenda 2063 of the African Union, Africa’s blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future.