{"id":197542,"date":"2024-12-18T09:21:09","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T09:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/18\/a-step-towards-inclusive-global-governance-south-africas-g20-presidency\/"},"modified":"2024-12-18T09:21:09","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T09:21:09","slug":"a-step-towards-inclusive-global-governance-south-africas-g20-presidency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/18\/a-step-towards-inclusive-global-governance-south-africas-g20-presidency\/","title":{"rendered":"A step towards inclusive global governance: South Africa\u2019s G20 Presidency"},"content":{"rendered":"
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South African Presidency will not only reflect Africa\u2019s priorities but will also strengthen the G20<\/a>\u2019s role in fostering an equitable, sustainable, and inclusive world, remarked Ambassador Anil Sooklal<\/a>, South Africa’s High Commissioner to India. <\/p>\n

Sooklal was the key note speaker at an event in the Indian capital. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs we reflect on Africa\u2019s role in global governance, we are reminded of the African philosophy of Ubuntu\u2013a principle that celebrates our shared humanity and interconnectedness: \u2018I am because we are\u2019\u201d, said Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary General of CUTS International in his opening remarks at an event on the \u2018The Future of G20 and Africa\u2019 held in New Delhi early this week.<\/p>\n

South Africa’s upcoming presidency of the G20, set to take place in 2025, marks a critical moment for Africa’s role in shaping global governance. Previously South Africa hosted the G20 secretariat in 2007 and this will be the first time that the G20 Leaders\u2019 summit will be hosted on African soil, five years ahead of the United Nations\u2019 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline. <\/p>\n

As South Africa assumes the presidency from Brazil, the continent\u2019s voice will take centre stage, underscoring its importance in global decision-making processes. <\/p>\n


Sooklal, former G20 and BRICS Sherpa, outlined South Africa\u2019s vision for its G20 Presidency, centred on the values of solidarity, equality, and sustainability. \u201cThe focus must remain on systemic change and collaboration, ensuring that the G20 remains a platform for advancing Africa\u2019s interests while contributing to global prosperity,\u201d he added. The event brought together distinguished thought leaders, diplomats, media persons and policy practitioners to discuss Africa\u2019s growing influence in the G20 and its broader impact on the global stage.\u201cDigital Public Infrastructure, augmented by AI, has proven to be a powerful accelerator for development outcomes, especially in governance,\u201d Sooklal added. \u201cAt a time when global economic growth is struggling to surpass 3%, well-designed digital infrastructure can help Africa and the world leap forward.\u201d This aligns with the commitments made by the G20 Troika\u2014India, Brazil, and South Africa\u2014to leverage digital technologies for inclusive and sustainable economic growth.<\/p>\n

Former Foreign Secretary of India and the Chief Coordinator for India\u2019s G20 Presidency in 2023, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, provided further insights from India\u2019s successful leadership of the G20, emphasising the importance of inclusive growth and sustainability. He also underscored the importance of technology-driven transformation in shaping the future of global cooperation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIndia\u2019s experience in leading the G20 demonstrated how digital public infrastructure can reduce inequalities, enhance financial inclusion, and drive development\u201d, said Shringla. He added that South Africa\u2019s upcoming presidency offers a unique opportunity to build on this foundation and position Africa as a key player in global governance.<\/p>\n

CUTS International has been a long-time advocate for Africa\u2019s participation in multilateral platforms, and Mehta reiterated the organisation\u2019s commitment to enhancing Africa\u2019s role in global trade, sustainable development, and governance.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt CUTS, we have been at the forefront of facilitating Africa\u2019s active involvement in key international platforms, such as the G20 and the WTO for nearly 25 years,\u201d Mehta noted. \u201cWe believe that the African Union\u2019s recent inclusion as a permanent member of the G20 was a victory for many of us who were advocating for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mehta added that the African Union must garner resources to mainstream G20 into their own discourse so as to advance the African Agenda 2063. Ambassador Sooklal echoed these sentiments.<\/p>\n

Ambassador Rajiv Bhatia, Distinguished Fellow at Gateway House, added depth to the discussion, reflecting on the importance of India-Africa relations and the need for collaborative partnerships in Africa\u2019s global integration.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs South Africa assumes the G20 leadership, it has a unique opportunity to place Africa at the forefront of global decision-making,\u201d Ambassador Bhatia remarked. \u201cDigital innovation and economic collaboration will be key in transforming Africa\u2019s prospects and ensuring that global challenges are addressed through inclusive partnerships.\u201d<\/p>\n

The conversation underscored the importance of moving beyond the mere representation of Africa in global governance. Stakeholders agreed that genuine, results-driven partnerships are necessary to ensure Africa\u2019s full integration into global decision-making processes. South Africa\u2019s leadership in 2025 is poised to bridge gaps across regions and sectors, providing a platform for sustainable and inclusive growth.<\/p>\n

While answering questions from the participants, Ambassador Sooklal emphasised the need for international cooperation to build an inclusive global order, one that promotes equality and sustainability for all nations. \u201cAfrica\u2019s time is now,\u201d he said. \u201cPlatforms like the G20 must serve as vehicles for growth that benefit everyone, not just a few.\u201d<\/p>\n

The speakers acknowledged that the presidency will focus on advancing Africa\u2019s integration into global systems, amplifying its voice in multilateral platforms, and tackling urgent issues such as trade imbalances, technological gaps, infrastructure deficits and bridging the global north-south divide. <\/p>\n

They emphasised the need for systemic change and collaboration, advocating for the African philosophy of Ubuntu\u2014\u201cI am because we are\u201d\u2014to guide G20 actions.<\/p>\n

Coincidentally, both Bhatia and Shringla have served as diplomats in Indian missions in South Africa in their careers which helped bring in realism in the discussions. All the three diplomats, which included Sooklal, felt that India Brazil, South Africa Dialogue Forum (IBSA) should be strengthened and also expanded with few more members.
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South African Presidency will not only reflect Africa\u2019s priorities but will also strengthen the G20\u2019s role in fostering an equitable, sustainable, and inclusive world, remarked Ambassador Anil Sooklal, South Africa’s High Commissioner to India. Sooklal was the key note speaker at an event in the Indian capital. \u201cAs we reflect on Africa\u2019s role in global […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":197543,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img.etimg.com\/photo\/msid-116431689,imgsize-93742.cms","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[602],"tags":[1664,154946,31862,377,19157,4200,154949,36259,6967,154948,154947,897],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197542"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197542"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197542\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":197544,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197542\/revisions\/197544"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/197543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=197542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}