President Cyril Ramaphosa has updated the National Assembly on South Africa’s preparations to host the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg in November.
The country will host the leaders’ summit under the theme: “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”, marking the first time an African nation leads the forum of the world’s major economies.
‘Strong support’
Delivering his oral replies to questions from members in the National Assembly on Tuesday, the President said South Africa’s G20 Presidency has received “strong support” from G20 members, invited countries and international organisations.
“South Africa’s G20 Presidency has entered its final 90 days. Approximately 87 of the 132 official meetings on the G20 calendar have already taken place.
“These meetings addressed some of the most urgent and significant challenges facing the global community, demonstrating our firm commitment to finding sustainable and innovative solutions through dialogue, collaboration and cooperation,” he said.
President Ramaphosa said the discussions have centred on South Africa’s priorities to:
- Strengthen disaster resilience and response
- Ensure debt sustainability for low-income countries
- Mobilise finance for a just energy transition
- Harness critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development
G20 Working Groups
“South Africa is also championing broader and cross-cutting issues through all the G20 Working Groups. These include reform of the multilateral trading system and the international financial architecture, including strengthening of multilateral development banks.
“While there is divergence on some issues, as is expected in multilateral engagements, there is strong support for South Africa’s priorities among G20 members,” the President said.
Furthermore, negotiations on the G20 Working Group Ministerial Declarations and Outcomes are also underway with the last rounds of most of the Ministerial meetings to be held this month and in October.
President Ramaphosa described the Third Meeting of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, held in July 2025, as a “significant milestone”.
‘Productive and constructive discussions’
“The meeting outcomes were agreed in a communiqué consented to by all members.
“The meeting delivered productive and constructive discussions on Africa, the global economic outlook and macroeconomic stability, the international financial architecture, sustainable finance, global health, infrastructure, tax, financial sector issues and financial inclusion,” he said.
The G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Wealth Inequality was also launched in August with Nobel Laureate, Professor Joseph Stiglitz, chairing the panel.
“This initiative seeks to heighten global attention on inequality and outline practical action to address growing disparities in income, wealth and opportunity,” he explained.
The G20 Ministerial Meetings are a key part of the G20 Leaders’ Declaration, which will be adopted at the leaders’ summit.
“South Africa aims to produce an ambitious Leaders’ Declaration that will promote the development agenda of the Global South in general and the African continent in particular,” President Ramaphosa concluded.
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