South Africa assumed the Presidency of the G20 on 1 December 2024, with high-expectations to drive a progressive, people-centred, development-orientated, and solution-driven Presidency, in a fractured global geo-political context, until it hands over the Presidency to the United States on 1 December 2025.South Africa’s participation in the G20 is guided by its four strategic foreign policy pillars (national interests, the African Agenda, South-South Cooperation and Multilateralism). Participation in the G20 is aimed at providing strategic direction towards establishing a more equitable, representative and fit-for-purpose international order
South Africa will continue to use the G20 as a premier forum for economic and financial cooperation, uniting developed and developing countries, and emerging markets to find solutions to global challenges. During the 2024 State of the National Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that “we will place Africa’s development at the top of the agenda when we host the G20 in 2025”.
South Africa will use its G20 Presidency to advocate for and mobilise support for the developing economies of Africa and the Global South, building on the efforts and successes of the Indonesian, Indian and Brazilian G20 Presidencies to champion the developmental agenda.
It will also use its Presidency to develop momentum and resuscitate solidarity to accelerate efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and to work towards the aspirations and objectives of the AU’s Agenda 2063.
South Africa has played an important role in promoting the interests of the developing world in the G20, including encouraging G20 action on debt-suspension for developing countries and advancing the G20/OECD initiative on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting. Predictable and sustainable financing for development and addressing the critical issue of debt vulnerability of many countries of the global South, will remain a priority.
South Africa will also use its Presidency of the G20 to action the Pact of the Future which was adopted by World Leaders at UNGA79 on 22 September 2024. The Pact of Future covers a broad range of themes including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations, and the transformation of global governance- all of which resonate with the African Continent.
National Priorities
Under its theme, Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability, South Africa intends to pursue the following priorities (which are linked to Africa’s priorities):
- Developing momentum and resuscitating our solidarity to accelerate efforts to achieve the SDGs and to work towards the aspirations and objectives of Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.
- Predictable and sustainable financing for development and addressing the critical issue of debt vulnerability of many African countries.
- Creating consensus around reform of the International Financial Architecture (IFA) notably, the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), which is critical to ensure that they become fit for purpose to adequately address sustainable development, transboundary challenges.
- Combating climate change considering that developing countries are the most affected despite contributing the least.
- Critical Minerals- South Africa will take forward the outcomes of the report of the UN Secretary’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals
- Industrialisation
- Employment and Inequality
- A Universal Social Floor
- Food Security
- Cross Cutting Initiatives on Artificial Intelligence
High-Level Deliverables
The following High-Level Deliverables define South Africa’s G20 Presidency:
- Priority 1 – Task force on Inclusive Economic Growth, Employment and Inequality
- Priority 2 – Task Force on Critical Minerals
- Priority 3 – Task Force on the Reform of the Global Financial Architecture
- Priority 4 – Task Force on Artificial Intelligence and Innovation
- Priority 5 – Task Force on Food Security