SA's G20 Presidency making progress finalising Leaders’ Declaration

South Africa’s Group of 20 (G20) Presidency is making significant progress toward a comprehensive Leaders’ Declaration that emphasises sustainable development and addresses pressing global issues. 

This statement was made by South Africa’s G20 Sherpa and Chair, Zane Dangor, who spoke to the media on Friday as the three-day Sherpa meeting concluded.

During a briefing with local and international media, Dangor said the gathering highlighted key developments through a collaborative approach that seeks input from all delegates.

“The past two and a half days have gone really well. Delegates are happy with the progress we’ve made in our working groups and our task forces, but also in the way we are conducting our Presidency.

“We’re putting forward our priorities in a very consultative manner, and this will help us to shape our Leaders’ Declaration, which was what we discussed in the last session,” the Sherpa said. 

However, he noted that the draft declaration remains fluid to accommodate ongoing global dynamics.

“We gave them a framework of what we think should be in the declaration based on our priorities. They’ve agreed with that, and they’ve also asked for certain other things to be included. So, we’re quite confident that we are on track.” 

However, Dangor announced that the final declaration is expected to emerge after ongoing working group discussions and will be circulated for further input in the coming weeks.

“We can’t draft something that changes within three or four months, even two weeks...”

Meanwhile, Dangor stated that the delegates are satisfied with the consultative process and the inclusion of various priorities, including climate change and artificial intelligence.

The G20 Leaders’ Declaration captures the shared perspectives, commitments, and agreements made by the leaders of the intergovernmental forum, typically outlining the framework for future international collaboration.

This week, South Africa hosted the world’s largest economies and organisations, which convened at Sun City Resort in the North West for the third G20 Sherpa meeting. 

In the G20, the Sherpas are the leaders of each country, who take the discussions and agreements to the final summit with Heads of State and Government.

African agenda

On advancing the continent’s agenda, Dangor said the African Union’s permanent membership brings “a perspective of 54 countries to the table”, providing a more robust African representation in global discussions.

“We can see that they’re getting better prepared at making those inputs. The AU and the EU [European Union] bring a grouping of countries to the table… it does bring the African flavour to the G20 in a way that is much appreciated by others.”

Dangor, who serves as the Director-General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, told journalists that South Africa's G20 Presidency is particularly focused on continuity, addressing a longstanding challenge, where each G20 Presidency traditionally defines its own themes. 

“We’ve been keen to focus on the sustainable development agenda,” he explained, highlighting a consistent approach across recent Presidencies.

Geopolitical tensions

He stressed that geopolitical tensions remain a critical challenge, with discussions centering on principles of international law and territorial integrity. 

According to Dangor, South Africa’s G20 Presidency is working to draft language that ensures “no exceptions” to holding nations accountable under international frameworks.

“We’re hoping to get ceasefires to stay in place. We’re hoping for justice to prevail, and we’re hoping for humanitarian access in Sudan, Gaza, and other places to be championed by the international community. These were the issues that we were discussing.”

While challenges persist, including the absence of United States representatives, Dangor said the G20 leadership remains optimistic about crafting a meaningful declaration that addresses global South priorities and sustainable development goals.

He mentioned that a Troika meeting has been organised between Brazil, the United States, and South Africa to update America on the current discussions and plans for the upcoming months.

“The G20 is continuing. The work continues in the working groups, the Sherpa work continues, and we will then have to factor in, based on levels of participation going forward, what we do with the views of the US, if they may, bring it at a later stage.” – SAnews.gov.za