The first 2025 G20 Development Working Group (DWG) meeting, which took place this week, was characterised by robust discussions aimed at tackling global development challenges.
This is according to the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.
The meeting, which was held from 20 to 23 January, was officially opened by Minister in the Presidency, Maropene Ramokgopa, who emphasised the importance of fostering global solidarity, equality, and sustainable development to create a future characterised by resilience, inclusivity, and sustainability.
Over the three days, G20 DWG members emphasised the importance of investing in enabling the optimal provision of global public goods, universal social protection, financing for development, and the urgent need to address illicit financial flows (IFFs) in the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to the department, the meeting reaffirmed that social protection was a critical tool in reducing poverty and inequality while fostering inclusive and sustainable development.
“The G20 DWG highlighted the importance of scaling up social protection systems, particularly in developing economies, to ensure universal access to essential services. Discussions emphasised the necessity of addressing the needs of marginalised groups, including those in the informal economy and small enterprises, with an emphasis on ensuring that no one is left behind,” said the department.
A key focus of the meeting was the growing financing gap for achieving the SDGs.
The DWG acknowledged the urgent need for additional, at-scale, and predictable financing to support sustainable development, particularly in Africa and other developing countries.
Several speakers emphasised the need for stronger regulatory frameworks and international cooperation to enhance national capacities for tackling illicit financial flows (IFFs), which continue to undermine development efforts.
Illicit financial flows, particularly through trade mis-invoicing, were highlighted as a significant barrier to achieving the SDGs.
“The G20 DWG also recognised the importance of partnerships between customs administrations, financial intelligence units, and law enforcement agencies in curbing these illicit flows. These efforts are crucial for creating fiscal space that enables countries to finance the SDGs and achieve long-term economic resilience.”
As part of its programme, the South African Presidency G20 DWG will host several meetings to develop key outputs and map out a programme of action to advance progress on the SDGs and other global development priorities.
The 2025 G20 DWG meeting concluded with a clear commitment to tackling the interconnected challenges of social protection, financing for development, and illicit financial flows.
“The discussions underscored the need for urgent action to close the development financing gap, mobilise resources effectively, and build resilient economies.
“As the world moves closer to the 2030 SDG deadline, many speakers in the G20 DWG emphasised the need to support developing countries in their pursuit of sustainable and inclusive development, with a focus on creating fiscal space, enhancing financial transparency, and ensuring that no one is left behind,” said the department. – SAnews.gov.za
Watch a G20 Working Group commits to tackling financing for development related video:
Stunning South Africa:
https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/27-Jan-2022-Nature-Finance6-aspect-ratio-2000-1200-300×180.jpg
MyPR.co.za offers free to publish press releases for your news site, blog or offline publication. Use the handy REPUBLISH facility or the Full Text RSS Feeds or just copy and paste.
Straton Electrical | Straton Solar | Straton Prepaid | Straton Plumbing | Straton IoT | Straton eBikes | BA Systems | Mbane Contracting | Reach Trust
Frosty Squid
A baby was born in South Africa. The village was very poor, and the makeshift hospital didn\’t have some necessary equipment.. such as scales.
The father however, was desperate to know the newborn baby\’s weight. After quite a bit of asking around, the hospital\’s chairman came up with an idea.
\”Five miles west, there\’s a butcher shop. The owner deals with meat, he should have a rather precise scale. You could just put your baby on the meat scale, and the weight reading you\’ll get should be pretty accurate.\”
And so the father departed westward. After much walking, with his newborn child cardled safely in his arms, he finally arrived at the butcher shop. He explained his dilemma to the shop owner, to witch the latter replied:
\”Don\’t worry, friend. It\’s not even a problem, I\’ll check it for you, free of charge.\” And so he took the child to the back, where the scale was located.
The father heard rumbling noises, and some scraping.. About a minute later the butcher came back.
\”About three pounds boneless\” He said.
BloodEater
Yugoslavia: You have two cows. They die right after giving birth to 20 new cows.