PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA ARRIVES IN RIO DE JANEIRO TO LEAD SOUTH AFRICA PARTICIPATION AT THE G20 LEADERS’ SUMMIT

• President Cyril Ramaphosa has arrived in Brazil to lead South Africa’s participation in the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro, held under the theme “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet.”
• The summit marks South Africa’s transition to the G20 Presidency, set to begin on 1 December 2024, with a focus on solidarity, equality, and sustainability.
• As the summit addresses pressing issues such as poverty, hunger, energy transitions, and global governance reform, South Africa’s role underscores its commitment to advancing the African agenda and promoting South-South cooperation.  

President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in the Federative Republic of Brazil to lead South Africa’s participation in the Group of Twenty (G20) Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro.  

The Rio G20 Leaders’ Summit, held under the theme “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet,” takes place from 18 to 19 November 2024. On Sunday, 17 November 2024, President Ramaphosa will attend the launch of the “Leveraging the Potential of Renewables – The Road to Johannesburg” campaign.  

Brazil’s G20 Presidency continues the Global South’s rotating leadership, prioritising social inclusion, the fight against hunger and poverty, energy transitions, sustainable development across economic, social, and environmental dimensions, and the reform of global governance institutions.  

On Monday, 18 November 2024, at the opening of the Leaders’ Summit, President Ramaphosa will deliver South Africa’s statements during plenary sessions focusing on the fight against hunger and poverty and later on the reform of global governance institutions.  

South Africa will formally assume the G20 Presidency during the Rio Leaders’ Summit and will advance initiatives established by its Global South predecessors from 1 December 2024 under the rallying theme of “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability.”  

The G20 serves as the premier forum for global economic cooperation and governance, representing 85% of global gross domestic product (GDP), 75% of global trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population. It fosters multilateral collaboration among the world’s leading economies to promote global economic stability and sustainable growth.  

The G20 comprises 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Russia, Türkiye, the UK, and the USA) alongside two regional bodies, the African Union and the European Union.  

President Ramaphosa will hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit. South Africa’s participation in the G20 is guided by four strategic foreign policy pillars: advancing national interests to achieve domestic objectives, promoting Africa’s sustainable development, fostering South-South cooperation, and influencing global multilateral frameworks by advocating for a more equitable international order through North-South dialogue.  

South Africa’s involvement in the G20 seeks to shape a fair, representative, and functional international system, complementing multilateral processes under the United Nations.  

President Ramaphosa is accompanied by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola and Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.  

ISSUED BY THE PRESIDENCY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA.