Historic South Africa G20 summit declaration prioritises developing world

The Group of 20’s final document states that the group will work to end armed conflicts and lessen the suffering of developing nations worldwide.

In contrast to the United States’ boycott of the United States, the summit, the first G20 summit on the African continent, convened on Saturday for the first of two days with an ambitious agenda to advance progress in addressing some of the world’s poorest nations’ long-standing issues.

At a meeting point near the famed Soweto township in South Africa, where Nelson Mandela once held the post-apartheid leader, leaders and top government figures from the richest and most influential emerging economies came together to try to reach some consensus on the priorities the host nation had set out for.

In the occupied Palestinian territory, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan, according to the adopted summit declaration.

Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has repeatedly questioned the scientific consensus that global warming is caused by human activities, in a sharp emphasis on the seriousness of climate change.

It added that a high level of debt is one of the barriers to inclusive growth in many developing economies because more and more people are affected by large-scale disasters, making this claim more prevalent.

In a foreseeable, timely, organized, and coordinated manner, the declaration stated that “we are committed to strengthening the implementation of the G20 common framework for debt treatments.”

Instead of just exporting raw materials, “Critical minerals should serve as a catalyst for value-addition and broad-based development.”

In his opening remarks, President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that while pursuing the integrity and prestige of the G20’s top economies, South Africa is also committed to ensuring that the group’s development priorities are reflected in its agenda.

The US, which is preventing the summit, had demanded that no declaration be made. Ramaphosa vehemently opposed that.

The US has objected to many of South Africa’s group’s priorities, including one focusing on climate change and its effects on developing nations.

Before the summit, Antonio Guterres, the head of the UN, stated, “But I think South Africa has done its part in making those things clear.”

Guterres warned that wealthy countries frequently made the concessions necessary to reach lasting global financial or climate agreements.

Trump’s illogical assertions that South Africa is engaging in racist anti-white policies and persecuting its Afrikaner white minority led to his country’s boycott of the summit.

The Trump administration’s commitment to South Africa’s G20 agenda has also been made clear since the start of the year when it has begun holding G20 summits.

In February, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized the G20’s agenda as being centered on diversity, equity, inclusion, and climate change.

Rubio rebuffed his claim that he would not squander money on that.

There are “so many difficulties.”

In the weeks leading up to the main summit this weekend, the US and South Africa’s diplomatic rift grew even more, but some leaders were eager to move on while Trump’s boycott predominated the pre-talks discussions in Johannesburg and threatened to undermine the agenda.

Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, expressed regret over Trump’s absence.

“But it shouldn’t prevent us,” she said. Because of the complexity of our challenges, we have a duty to be present, engaged, and working together.

The G20, which includes the European Union, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates, is actually a group of 21 countries.

In response to global financial crises, the bloc was established in 1999 as a bridge between wealthy and poor countries. G20 members collectively account for about 85 percent of the world’s economy, 75 percent of international trade, and more than half of the world’s population, despite frequently operating in the shadow of the Group of Seven richest democracies.

Source: Aljazeera