G20 Calls for UN Reforms, Security Council Overhaul

Johannesburg, Feb 21 (PTI) The G20 representatives, attending the first Foreign Ministers' meeting under by South Africa's presidency, on Friday reaffirmed the urgent need to reform the UN, including changes to the Security Council.

Among the key attendees were External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

“(The G20) support the need to reform the UN to make it fit for purpose and relevant to the current international reality. These include the UN Security Council,” South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola said at the conclusion of the two-day meet here.

He had earlier said that South Africa holds the view that the UN remains the appropriate forum for maintaining peace and security, supported by other institutions of global governance.

Ramola also highlighted the broader need for reform across global governance systems.

“(We) support the need to reform international systems of global governance, inclusive of the international financial architecture; the multilateral trading system and the multilateral development banks,” he said.

In his opening remarks at the gathering, Ramola urged the G20 representatives to support South Africa's proposed approach to address geo-political issues. He emphasised that such issues should be discussed at the level of Sherpas, Foreign Ministers, and Leaders, to develop consensus-based strategies to build peace and human development.

“As such, geo-political issues will not be discussed in the Working Groups, thus allowing these meetings to focus solely on technical discussions. We also like to caution against focusing exclusively on one conflict situation, to the exclusion of others, especially on the African continent, as has been the practice in the recent past,” Lamola said.

The G20 endorsed South Africa's proposal for managing geo-political discussions during its Presidency.

The slow progress in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) also came under the spotlight at the meeting.

“(The G20 countries) noted with concern the slow progress being made in the achievement of SDG goals of the UN Agenda 2030. To this end, the meeting stressed on the need for urgent action to accelerate efforts and reaffirm the G20 strong commitment to the SDG in line with the theme (of this meeting) – Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability,” Lamola said.

The ongoing global conflicts were another focal point of the discussions.

“These conflicts are detrimental to the economic development and attainment of the SDGs. The impact of wars on education, health was highlighted as a major concern by some participants. Sustainable investment in conflict prevention and peace-building was underscored (as a priority)," Lamola said.

The G20 ministers reiterated that all states must adhere to the principles of the UN Charter, he said.

“All parties in conflicts must comply with the provisions under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Guided by these principles, there was agreement to support all the efforts towards justice in the Ukraine, Palestine, Sudan the Democratic Republic of Congo and other major conflicts around the globe,” Lamola said.

The meeting also recognised the wider geo-political divisions which have contributed to festering a climate of distrust, threatening to unravel progress with needs to address present global challenges such as poverty, climate change, pandemics, and nuclear proliferation.

Lamola said South Africa remains committed to working with all G20 members to advance the forum's work and will play a bridge building role and preserve the unity of the group during its presidency.

“It is our firm view that the unity of the group will be key to reaching consensus on this presidency's priorities and deliverables,” he said.

South Africa is hosting the G20 for 2025, with this meeting marking the beginning of a series of engagements scheduled throughout the year.

As the premier forum for international economic cooperation, the G20 plays a critical role in steering the global economy through the significant challenges it faces.

The members of the G20 are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States, the African Union and the European Union.