South Africa hosts virtual meeting of G20 Sherpas, highlights importance of working with multilateral institutions

During the meeting, South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation Director-General Zane Dangor spoke about the importance of continuing to work with multilateral institutions, including the United Nations, to address global challenges. He stressed that South Africa is counting on the support of G20 nations and invited nations and international organisations to make the summit a success.

Dangor said, "The objective for today is let's take stock of what has happened and where we need to improve, but what are the key issues that may need special attention for the negotiations," TV BRICS reported.

During the meeting, India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant stressed that the G20 nations should work together to overcome global challenges. Representatives of the UAE, Ahmed Al Sayegh, Minister of State and UAE G20 Sherpa, as well as Mahash Al Hameli, UAE Ambassador to South Africa and UAE Sous Sherpa, participated in the meeting, TV BRICS reported, citing Emirati Foreign Ministry's press office. The delegates stressed the UAE's active participation in G20 working groups in several priority areas, including culture, education, women's empowerment, artificial intelligence, digital economy, climate, and other areas.

South Africa has invited UAE to attend the G20 Summit in November as a guest state. According to the report, South Africa will participate in the summit for the sixth time.

South Africa assumed the G20 Presidency on December 1 last year. The theme for South Africa's G20 Presidency is 'Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.' The theme guides the priorities of the Working Groups in both the Sherpa and Finance Tracks and also informs the High-Level Deliverables of South Africa's G20 Presidency, according to the official statement.

The G20 comprises 19 countries - Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Africa, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the European Union, and the African Union. G20 members include the world's major economies, representing 85 per cent of global GDP, 75 per cent of international trade, and two-thirds of the world's population.