South Africa’s Presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) presents a unique opportunity not only for the country itself, but also for the African continent and the Global South to foster greater economic growth for all.
This is according to President Cyril Ramaphosa who delivered the State of the Nation Address to a joint sitting of Parliament in Cape Town on Thursday evening.
South Africa is the first African country to hold the Presidency of the world’s premier economic cooperation grouping following the admission of the African Union as a G20 member.
For its Presidency, South Africa has chosen the theme: “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainable Development” which, President Ramaphosa explained, underscores the “need for cooperation and partnership among the countries of the world”.
“It is an opportunity to place the needs of Africa and the rest of the Global South more firmly on the international development agenda.
“Our G20 Presidency is a valuable opportunity for South Africa to advance efforts towards greater global economic growth and sustainable development,” he said.
‘Inextricably bound’
President Ramaphosa told the gathering that “Africa remains at the centre of our foreign policy” and emphasised that Africa’s and, by extension South Africa’s, growth and success depends on continental peace.
“We continue to work to strengthen the African Union to support the achievement of peace, development and economic integration on the continent.
“We know that our future prosperity is inextricably bound to the prosperity of the African continent. For Africa to thrive, we must silence the guns on the continent,” he said.
For the past 30 years, South Africa has been involved in “restoring stability” in countries across the continent – most recently in Mozambique and the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“[We] have been part of the SADC [Southern African Development Community] peacekeeping mission in Mozambique that has brought relative calm and stability to the Cabo Delgado province.
“The presence of South African peacekeepers in the eastern DRC is testament to our continued commitment to the peaceful resolution of one of the world’s most intractable conflicts, which has cost millions of lives and displaced millions of people,” he said.
Regarding conflict in the DRC, President Ramaphosa urged parties in that war to “embrace the current diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful resolution, including honouring the Luanda Process”.
“We will attend the Joint Summit between SADC and the East African Community scheduled to take place in Tanzania this weekend, where we will reiterate our call for a ceasefire and a resumption of talks to find a just and enduring solution,” he said.
READ | President Ramaphosa to participate in joint SADC – EAC summit on the DRC
Global solidarity
The President reminded South Africans that the country’s own democracy was won from the brutal hands of the Apartheid regime with the help of international solidarity.
He emphasised that this “imposes a duty on us to support the struggles of those who continue to experience colonialism and oppression” and highlighted the country’s work on the international stage in this regard.
“South Africa continues to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine, who, having endured decades of illegal occupation, are now experiencing indescribable suffering.
“We continue to participate in the different peace processes seeking to bring about a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
“South Africa continues to advance its agenda of cooperation and multilateralism through its membership of the United Nations, African Union, the Non-Aligned Movement and BRICS group of countries.”
The President noted that this work and “what we stand for needs to be explained to many key players, especially to our trading partners and the many countries and leaders we interact with on the global stage”.
“With a view to explaining the many positions that we have taken and in particular the objectives we wish to achieve during our Presidency of the G20, I have decided to send a delegation of government and other leaders to various capitals on our continent and across the world.
“This delegation will interact with various key players on a variety of matters that affect South Africa’s interests,” President Ramaphosa said. – SAnews.gov.za
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