South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday that inequality deserves “the same, if not more” attention than the climate crisis, at the closing of the G20 Social Summit, which has preceded this week’s meeting of leaders of this group of developed and emerging countries in the country.
“We hope to be able to establish a global panel on inequality that operates at the same level as the COP20 or COP30, focused on climate change,” said Ramaphosa at the Birchwood Conference Centre in Johannesburg (north), whose country has held the rotating presidency of the bloc this year.
“Inequality deserves more, if not the same, (attention) that we are giving to climate change,” added the president at the closing of the summit, which brought together some 5,000 representatives, mostly from civil society organizations and NGOs, and concluded with the delivery to Ramaphosa of a declaration.
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The president emphasized that the objective of his country during its term in the group has been “to ensure that the interests of developing countries take a priority place on the G20 agenda”, addressing “poverty, inequality and development” and following the line set by its predecessor at the head of the bloc, Brazil.
“We have worked to strengthen and reform the international financial architecture, democratize global governance systems, and promote the right of all nations to development, equality, and dignity,” he asserted.
The Social Summit – which has been held for the second time this year after Brazil established it last year – addressed a wide range of topics, from digital inclusion to climate justice, through gender equality or freedom of the press.
“We are deeply concerned about the impact of the withdrawal of international development aid on initiatives that support the provision of health services and health systems,” Ramaphosa highlighted, after the abrupt interruption of cooperation funds imposed this year by the United States and several European countries, which has had devastating consequences in the global south.
“We hope that attention to inequality will rise to a new level,” he concluded, admitting that the meeting is held at a time of “great uncertainty in the world, political polarization, global competition, conflict and war.”
Furthermore, he deplored the climate crisis and the inequality in the distribution of wealth and access to financing “are endangering global development”.
South Africa assumed the rotating presidency of the G20 on December 1, 2024, under the motto “Solidarity, equality and sustainability”, and will hold it until November 30 of this year, when the U.S. will take over.
However, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that “no official” from the U.S. government will attend the Leaders’ Summit next Saturday and Sunday in Johannesburg, arguing that alleged human rights abuses are being committed against the Afrikaner minority (white South Africans descended from Dutch settlers), a claim flatly rejected by Pretoria.
