News24 | Ramaphosa calls for inclusive growth, global solidarity to build resilient future

President Cyril Ramaphosa at the G20 leaders summit.

• President Cyril Ramaphosa has highlighted the need for inclusive economic growth, disaster risk reduction, and equitable access to resources to build a more resilient and sustainable world.
• He urged action on climate financing, just transitions, and support for vulnerable nations.
• He was speaking at the G20 Leaders’ Summit at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg on Saturday.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasised that a resilient world can only be achieved through inclusive economic growth, strengthening global partnerships, and reforming international institutions, highlighting the need for global preparedness.

Speaking at the G20 Leaders’ Summit session on a resilient world in Johannesburg on Saturday night, Ramaphosa outlined the interconnected challenges the world faces, including poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, inequality, environmental degradation, and climate change.

He said, “We must, as a matter of urgency, integrate disaster risk reduction into macroeconomic policies, climate financing, and sustainable infrastructure development.

“We must ensure that vulnerable countries and communities have equitable access to technologies, finance, and the capacity to anticipate and withstand future shocks.”

READ | G20 Leaders declaration adopted by ‘unanimous’ consensus – Ramaphosa

Looking ahead, Ramaphosa advocated for strengthening global early warning systems, mobilising innovative financing for resilience, and mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into all sectors of economic planning, from energy and infrastructure to agriculture and urban development.

“Sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth requires that we take measures to address the severe imbalance in vulnerability to the increasing effects of climate change.

“Those countries most affected by severe weather events are often those that bear the least responsibility for climate change.”

This, he added, threatened to further deepen inequality between and within countries.

“Developing economies need resources and technical partnerships for effective adaptation and resilience. We need to make good on our commitments to fund loss and damage caused by climate change.”

Ramaphosa also said just transitions must support efforts to eradicate poverty and promote human rights, workers’ rights, and gender equality.

“They must foster meaningful social and economic opportunities,” he said.

In the face of persistent hunger and escalating climate pressures, Ramaphosa applauded the G20 for continuously keeping food security at the centre of its developmental agenda.

“South Africa made food security one of the priorities of our G20 Presidency, building on the excellent work of previous presidencies, including the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty established under the Brazilian Presidency.”

Unless countries act now to build resilience and sustainability, tomorrow’s [issues] will be more devastating, damaging, and more lasting, he said.

Speaking at the reception dinner on Saturday night, Ramaphosa told leaders that they had reaffirmed the G20’s role as a forum for constructive dialogue and meaningful international cooperation.

Ramaphosa said:

For this, Ramaphosa thanked the leaders and their countries.

“Today, we have adopted the leaders’ declaration of the G20 South Africa Summit, in which we outline the far-reaching actions on which we have agreed to build a better, more equal and sustainable world.”

He said the declaration was a profound affirmation of the value of multilateralism and the importance of dialogue.

“As South Africa, we have sought to place Africa’s development firmly on the agenda of the G20. We have done so not only because this is the first time the G20 is being held in Africa, but because Africa’s success is so important to progress and prosperity across the globe.”

READ | SA trumps US as G20 issues declaration

News24 reported that the G20, under South Africa’s presidency, reached a consensus on adopting a summit declaration.

Earlier on Saturday, Ramaphosa announced the agreement after loud applause from delegates, despite an attempt by International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola to prevent the announcement during a live broadcast.

Ramaphosa announced that a consensus had “emerged”, as the sound to the G20 plenary was cut.

After delivering his opening remarks, and in what appeared to be a slip-up, Ramaphosa proceeded with the programme, informing his counterparts that one of the tasks they should undertake at the beginning was to execute their immediate one, “which is, by overwhelming consensus, to adopt our declaration”.