Source: President of South Africa –
Your Excellency, President Ursula von der Leyen,
Fellow Heads of State and Government from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Europe,
Honourable Ministers,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you for inviting South Africa to this Global Gateway Forum.
It is a privilege to address this forum, which brings together partners to strengthen cooperation, advance shared priorities and find solutions to the pressing global challenges of our time.
This forum is taking place at a time of geopolitical uncertainty and instability, negatively impacting security and economic growth in many parts of the world.
These circumstances require comprehensive, coordinated and forward-looking solutions. These challenges call for a renewed commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflict, respect for international law, the strengthening of multilateralism and the progressive reform of international bodies like the United Nations and the WTO.
As a country, we welcome the opportunity to participate in this forum.
The strategic partnership between South Africa and the European Union has evolved in scope and substance over the years.
The South Africa-EU Summit in Cape Town in March this year reaffirmed our shared values and further deepened our cooperation.
Together, we have an opportunity to strengthen resilience by advancing investments in digital and green infrastructure, fostering innovation, securing supply chains and encouraging diversification that supports sustainable and inclusive growth.
We welcome the support this partnership provides to the development of transport networks, a just transition and climate resilience, pandemic preparedness and vaccine production, and digital connectivity.
As we work to strengthen trade and investment ties, we must also address those issues that hold back more robust, more diverse and more impactful trade and investment between African and European countries.
We need to work together to overcome the tariff and non-tariff barriers that constrain the breadth and the scale of African exports to the European Union.
We must use investment and trade as effective instruments to foster industrialisation on the African continent.
The Global Gateway provides an opportunity to support the priorities that countries have identified and are pursuing themselves.
South Africa has embarked on a just transition that advances renewable energy while safeguarding energy security and enabling social and economic development.
We are using our natural resource endowments – such as solar, wind and our critical minerals – to build industries that will grow our economies.
As South Africa, we are undertaking far-reaching economic reforms in energy, water, logistics and telecommunications that are making our country more competitive and improving the investment environment.
As a country, we are undertaking a massive infrastructure investment drive to expand the capacity of our economy and meet the developmental needs of our people.
As a continent, Africa is striving for universal access to energy through diversification, equitable financing and technology transfer.
The support from the EU and its member states will play an important part in this journey.
It is important that the substantial investments that are being made through the Global Gateway are structured in a manner that empowers African countries and does not replace one dependency with another.
They must enable African countries to pursue development paths that are suited to their circumstances and to the needs of their people.
South Africa is hosting the G20 Leaders’ Summit next month under the theme of Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability.
With around 100 of the 132 official meetings having been held since we took over the presidency of the G20 from Brazil, South Africa is well on its way in preparations towards hosting a successful G20 Summit for the first time on African soil.
We welcome the support of the European Union for our G20 priorities to address the many challenges that developing economy countries are facing.
Many developing economy countries face unsustainable debt burdens. A key issue for the G20 must be to develop solutions to address the debt burden that holds back the growth and development of many developing economy countries, especially in Africa.
We need further measures to ensure fair and equitable access to finance and debt sustainability so that these countries can meet the needs of their people and realise their potential.
It is simply unacceptable that many developing economy countries pay much more for their debt than what more developed economy countries pay.
This unfair treatment perpetuates inequality not only between individuals but amongst countries as well.
It is for this reason that South Africa has set up a G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Wealth Inequality, led by Professor Joseph Stiglitz, to table a report at the G20 Leaders’ Summit on the issue of inequality.
We must build consensus on the reform of international financial institutions, particularly multilateral development banks, to better tackle global challenges.
We have recognised the need to massively increase support for climate action in the Global South and for reconstruction in the aftermath of extreme weather events. Greater support needs to be given developing economy countries through climate financing.
We are also calling for stronger action against predatory mining practices and for fair management of critical minerals.
We are focusing on strengthening the multilateral trading system, while recognising that the World Trade Organisation remains the only multilateral body capable of managing divergences and coordinating positions in global trade.
We remain committed to working closely with the European Union to ensure that our shared ambitions translate into tangible outcomes.
Together, we can foster inclusive growth, build resilience and create a sustainable and secure future for all our people.
I thank you.