Delegates from G20 Members
Delegates from invited Guest Countries
Delegates from International Organisations
Delegates from South African institutions and partners
Ladies and Gentlemen
We have come to the conclusion of the five days of productive engagements of the second G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group, in this iconic setting at the Kruger National Park. I trust that you have enjoyed this unique experience in the African bush.
I wish to thank the G20 member states, guest nations and international organisations for their statements around the six priorities outlined by the Presidency.
The insights you have shared over the past five days will be instrumental to shape our joint work ahead, notably to inform the preparation of the deliverables of this working group envisaged by the Presidency.
We wish to deeply appreciate that most countries welcome South Africa’s priorities of the G20 ECSWG and have reaffirmed their support to successful outcomes of the ECSWG and their commitment to scaling up urgent action to address the multiple and inter-related issues regarding biodiversity loss, desertification, oceans, land degradation, drought, climate change and pollution. Balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability remains pivotal, within the context of South Africa’s theme for its G20 Presidency of Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability.
We also wish to appreciate the rich and detailed discussions that we have held during the course of this week on the 20 Technical Papers under each Priority, which have been developed by authors and knowledge partners who are experts in various fields. South Africa welcomes inputs and constructive discussions from G20 Member States, invited guest countries and international organisations on the technical papers. These are considered as strategic deliverables during South Africa’s Presidency of the G20 ECSWG and we welcome and look forward to receiving further written inputs by G20 Members, Invited Guest Countries and International Organisations on these drafts, as we work together a successful outcome.
Please note that we would appreciate receiving your written inputs on all through the shared template of by 04 August 2025. Following this, the authors will finalise these Technical Papers and the final versions of these will be circulated as Presidency documents by end of August.
The adoption of an ambitious G20 ECSWG Ministerial Declaration is viewed as the apex deliverable for this Working Group, and key elements are envisaged to be incorporated into the G20 Leaders Declaration. The declaration will be presented for adoption at the G20 Summit which will be taking place in Johannesburg, 22 – 23 November 2025. We wish to see the G20 ECSWG sending a strong message to the world on these key issues as a collective.
The Presidency is committed to building consensus around key elements to be reflected in the ministerial declaration. This will be achieved by creating a constructive environment for discussion and negotiation, in which Members, Invited guest countries will be provided an opportunity to contribute through ongoing stakeholder engagements, including, bilateral meetings with G20 members to support alignment and coordination.
Thank you for your invaluable inputs into the Zero Draft of the Declaration made during this 2nd ECSWG meeting. We therefore, look forward to receiving your written inputs by 4 August 2025. We will work on a revised version of the Declaration and circulate this by end of August 2025 for a further round of reflections and inputs, with a view to having a final version ready by the end of September, in time for the 3rd G20 ECSWG meeting in mid-October.
I also wish to announce that the Presidency will be convening a G20 ECSWG workshop in Cape Town, 10 – 12 September 2025. This workshop will comprise panel discussions of experts on selected key issues that we have been discussing over the past few days. We hope this will enrich our engagements on these issues to input into some of the Technical Papers. Invitation letters and the Concept Note for this Workshop will be circulated in due course, and I trust that you will be able to attend.
On the Summary and Way Forward, the following is proposed:
On behalf of the G20 Presidency, I extend my deepest gratitude to all G20 members, invited guest countries, international organisations and stakeholders for your invaluable contributions. May our collective efforts ensure that culture continues to unite, inspire, and drive meaningful change for generations to come.
I also extend my appreciation to the Secretariat and organisation team for the work behind the scenes to ensure that this first in-person G20 ECSWG was successfully coordinated.
We look forward to receiving you at the third G20 ECSWG meeting and Ministerial meeting from 13 – 17 October 2025, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. We will also have an opportunity to explore other iconic sites and unique natural heritage of the surrounding areas, including the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and the majestic Table Mountain.
Once again, on behalf of the South African G20 Presidency, I thank you.
For media enquiries, please contact: Thobile Zulu-Molobi: +27 82 513 7154 / tmolobi@dffe.gov.za | Chelsey Wilken: 074 470 5996 / cwilken@dffe.gov.za
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY, FISHERIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT