Rio de Janeiro: President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Brazil on Saturday night to lead South Africa’s participation in the Group of Twenty (G20) Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

According to South African Government News Agency, the G20 Leaders’ Summit, which will be held between 18 and 19 November 2024, will focus on ‘Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet’. Brazil’s G20 Presidency continues the global south rotating Presidency and during its tenure prioritises social inclusion, the fight against hunger and poverty, energy transitions, and the promotion of sustainable development across economic, social, and environmental dimensions, along with the reform of global governance institutions, as stated by the Presidency.

On Sunday, 17 November 2024, President Ramaphosa will participate in the launch of the Leveraging the Potential of Renewables – The Road to Johannesburg Campaign. On Monday, 18 November 2024, at the beginning of the Leaders’ Summit, the President will present South Africa’s statemen
ts during plenary sessions, focusing on the fight against hunger and poverty and the reform of global governance institutions.

South Africa will officially receive the G20 Presidency during the Leaders’ Summit and will continue to build on the initiatives of its Global South predecessors starting from 1 December 2024, under the rallying call of ‘Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability’. The G20 is the leading forum for global economic cooperation and governance, representing 85% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 75% of global trade, and two-thirds of the global population. It serves as a platform to promote effective multilateral cooperation by uniting the world’s major economies to ensure economic stability and sustainable growth worldwide.

The G20 consists of 19 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Russia, Trkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Additionally, it inclu
des two organisations: the African Union and the European Union. The President is expected to hold bilateral meetings on the margins of the Leaders’ Summit.

South Africa’s participation in the G20 is guided by four strategic foreign policy pillars. These include advancing national interests to attain domestic objectives, enhancing the African agenda and promoting Africa’s sustainable development, South-South Cooperation, and influencing the global multilateral architecture by advancing the agenda of the South through North-South dialogue.

‘South Africa’s participation in the G20 therefore seeks to provide strategic direction in establishing a more equitable, representative and fit-for-purpose international order, in support of the main multilateral processes under the United Nations.’ President Ramaphosa is accompanied by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola and Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.