Ramaphosa keynote at G20 foreign ministers meeting

President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered a keynote address at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting held alongside the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, outlining South Africa’s G20 Presidency priorities and calls for reforms to the international financial architecture.

• Main announcement/action: President Ramaphosa emphasized Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability as the centre of South Africa’s G20 Presidency; he called for meaningful reforms of the international financial architecture, including increasing grant and concessional financing, enhanced multilateral coordination on debt, and greater private sector participation.
  • Appointments and launches cited: African Panel of Experts appointed to address impediments to growth in Africa; G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Wealth Inequality launched and is chaired by Professor Joseph Stiglitz.
• Background and additional details: He noted more than 85 percent of the Sustainable Development Goals are currently off track, cited the climate crisis and extreme weather impacts on Africa and other vulnerable regions, and referenced collective adoption of the Seville Commitment to address sustainable development financing gaps.
  • Events: G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting was held alongside the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly (New York, USA).
  • Upcoming: G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg in November (location and month given; exact dates not specified in text).