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Keynote address by President Cyril Ramaphosa during the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting, UN General Assembly, New York, USA

Source: President of South Africa –

Your Excellency, Ms Annalena Baerbock, President of the General Assembly,

Your Excellency, Mr António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations,

Your Excellency, Ms Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations,

Mr Ronald Lamola, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa,

Distinguished Ministers of Foreign Affairs of G20 Member States and Invited Guest Countries,

Representatives of International Organisations and Regional Economic Communities,

Heads of Delegation,

Distinguished Guests,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this meeting of G20 foreign ministers.

South Africa has placed Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability at the centre of our G20 Presidency.

This is driven by our conviction that global challenges can only be resolved through cooperation, collaboration and partnership.

We are hosting this Second Foreign Ministers’ meeting alongside the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly to reaffirm the G20’s commitment to UN values and emphasise the centrality of the United Nations as the foremost multilateral organisation.

As the countries of the world gather for the 80th anniversary of the UN, they are reaffirming peace as a path to sustainable economic development.

Without peace there can be no sustainable development.

At the same time, inclusive economic development is vital to peace by addressing the root causes of conflict.

The international community today confronts many challenges.

The promise of sustainable development is getting further from our reach.

More than 85 percent of the Sustainable Development Goals are currently off track, with setbacks particularly acute in fighting hunger, extreme poverty and rising inequality.

The climate crisis deepens the problem. Extreme weather events are inflicting severe losses, particularly across Africa and other climate-vulnerable regions.

War and conflict is causing massive loss of life, displacing millions and creating humanitarian catastrophes.

These crises test societal resilience and expose structural injustices, gradually eroding trust in multilateralism.

The world looks to the G20, as the premier forum for international economic cooperation, to provide leadership in addressing these urgent challenges.

While the global economy has shown some resilience, we must acknowledge pressing issues of low growth, high debt, tightened financing conditions and constrained fiscal space.

To respond to these issues, we need meaningful reforms of the international financial architecture.

We must increase grant and concessional financing, enhance multilateral coordination on debt, draw in the private sector and ensure equal participation in decision-making on the international economic order.

As part of our G20 Presidency priorities, we advocate for actions to support low-income and developing economies through debt sustainability and reducing capital costs.

We have appointed an African Panel of Experts to work on recommendations addressing impediments to growth and development in Africa, including the cost of capital.

We recently launched the G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Wealth Inequality, chaired by Nobel laureate Professor Joseph Stiglitz.

The Committee will develop the first-ever official G20 paper on global inequality.

We are pleased that world leaders collectively adopted the Seville Commitment, a detailed blueprint to address the sustainable development financing gap and solutions to reshape the global financial system.

Let me thank you for your support for our G20 Presidency priorities and deliverables.

The challenges confronting our people and planet today can only be resolved through cooperation, collaboration and partnership.

I look forward to receiving you and your esteemed delegations at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg in November.

I thank you.
 

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State Minister for International Cooperation Meets UN Women Chief at UNGA

Source: Government of Qatar

New York, September 25, 2025

HE Minister of State for International Cooperation, Dr. Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad held talks on Thursday with HE Executive Director of UN Women, Dr. Sima Bahous.

The meeting, held on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, discussed the cooperation between the State of Qatar and UN Women.

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Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Meets Oman Foreign Minister at UNGA

Source: Government of Qatar

New York, September 25, 2025

HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani met on Thursday with HE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman, Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al Busaidi.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. It focused on reviewing bilateral relations, enhancing cooperation and discussing the latest developments in the region particularly in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories.

They also addressed several topics of common interest.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed the importance of intensifying regional and international efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region through dialogue and peaceful means.

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State Minister for International Cooperation Meets UN Human Rights Chief

Source: Government of Qatar

New York, September 25, 2025

HE Minister of State for International Cooperation, Dr. Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad, met with HE United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. It reviewed aspects of cooperation between the State of Qatar and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

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Qatar Participates in High-level Meeting to Commemorate 30th Anniversary of World Programme of Action on Youth

Source: Government of Qatar

New York, September 25, 2025

The State of Qatar participated in the high-level plenary meeting to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the World Programme of Action on Youth, held under the theme, “World Programme of Action for Youth at 30: Accelerating global progress through intergenerational collaboration”, on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The State of Qatar was represented at the meeting by HE Minister of State for International Cooperation Dr. Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad. 

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Afreximbank e o Centro de Comércio Internacional renovam parceria para o comércio intra-africano

Source: Africa Press Organisation – Portuguese –

O Banco Africano de Exportação e Importação (Afreximbank) (https://Afreximbank.com) e o Centro de Comércio Internacional (ITC) renovaram e expandiram o seu memorando de entendimento (MoU), sublinhando o seu compromisso em fortalecer o comércio intra-africano, a competitividade das pequenas e médias empresas (PME) e a cooperação Sul-Sul.

O MoU foi assinado à margem da recentemente concluída Feira de Comércio Intra-Africana 2025 (IATF2025) pelo Prof. Benedict Oramah, Presidente e Chairman do Conselho de Administração da Afreximbank, e pela Sra. Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Diretora Executiva da ITC.

Sob o novo Memorando de Entendimento, o Afreximbank e o ITC promoverão a competitividade das PME, a capacitação relacionada à Área de Comércio Livre Continental Africana (AfCFTA), meios de subsistência sustentáveis através das indústrias criativas, o fortalecimento das parcerias comerciais da África com as regiões do Caribe e do mundo árabe, e o aumento do acesso ao financiamento para empresas, incluindo pequenas empresas.

Comentando a assinatura, o Prof. Oramah disse que o novo Acordo de Cooperação ajudaria a expandir as indústrias criativas de África, aprofundar a cooperação Sul-Sul com o Caribe e fortalecer o impacto do setor privado na AfCFTA.

“A assinatura do memorando de entendimento renovado à margem do IATF2025 é uma forte demonstração da liderança do Afreximbank na promoção do comércio intra-africano e no empoderamento das PME,” disse o Prof. Oramah. “Ao escolher o IATF2025 como plataforma para este anúncio, o Afreximbank e o ITC estão a sublinhar o importante papel do IATF como uma plataforma para desbloquear o potencial das PME para impulsionar o desenvolvimento impulsionado pelo comércio em África.”

Ele disse que a parceria entre o Afreximbank e o ITC os posicionou como líderes conjuntos na garantia de que as PME e os empreendedores criativos de África ganhem visibilidade global e acesso ao mercado, acrescentando que estavam a aumentar a sua colaboração para capacitar as PME e as indústrias criativas, fomentar ligações entre a África e as Caraíbas, e promover a implementação do AfCFTA.

A Sr.ª Coke-Hamilton disse: “A nossa parceria de longo prazo com o Afreximbank baseia-se em fortalecer a forma como a África se relaciona com o resto do mundo em termos de comércio. Com a nossa parceria alargada, continuaremos a trabalhar juntos para tornar o comércio mais fácil, mais acessível e menos dispendioso em todo o continente, para todas as empresas africanas, incluindo as mais pequenas e aquelas lideradas por mulheres e jovens.”

Com mais de 112.000 visitantes de 132 países, a IATF2025, que teve lugar de 4 a 10 de setembro, terminou de forma notavelmente positiva, com 48,3 mil milhões de dólares em negócios de comércio e investimento assinados ao longo dos sete dias da exposição continental. Recebeu 2.148 expositores.

Para mais informações, por favor visite www.IntrAfricanTradeFair.com.

Distribuído pelo Grupo APO para Afreximbank.

Contato de Imprensa:
media@intrafricatradefair.com
press@afreximbank.com

Sobre a Feira de Comércio Intra-Africano:
Organizado pelo Banco Africano de Exportação e Importação (Afreximbank), Comissão da União Africana (AUC) e Secretariado da Zona de Comércio Livre Continental Africana (AfCFTA), a Feira de Comércio Intra-Africana (IATF) destina-se a proporcionar uma plataforma única para facilitar a troca de informações sobre comércio e investimento em apoio ao aumento do comércio e investimento intra-africano, especialmente no contexto da implementação do Acordo de Livre Comércio Continental Africano (AfCFTA). A IATF reúne agentes continentais e globais para apresentar e exibir os seus bens e serviços e explorar oportunidades de negócios e investimento no continente. Também proporciona uma plataforma para partilhar informações sobre comércio, investimento e mercado com as partes interessadas e permite que os participantes discutam e identifiquem soluções para os desafios que confrontam o comércio e investimento intra-africano. Além dos participantes africanos, a Feira de Comércio também está aberta a empresas e investidores de países não africanos interessados em fazer negócios em África e apoiando a transformação do continente através da industrialização e desenvolvimento das exportações.

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Advisor to Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for Ministry of Foreign Affairs Participates in Discussion Panel Titled "Centering Local and Regional Actors in Global Mediation: Lessons from the Gulf"

Source: Government of Qatar

New York, September 25, 2025

Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansariآ participated in a high-level discussion panel titled “Centering Local and Regional Actors in Global Mediation: Lessons from the Gulf,” as part of the Global Citizen Now Summit, sponsored by the Open Society Foundations, on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
During the panel, the Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the State of Qatar will continue its deep commitment to its role as an honest mediator in regional and international conflicts, despite the growing challenges and attempts to disrupt and target.
He indicated that the State of Qatar, despite its small geographical size, embraces a multinational and multicultural society, which gives it a deep understanding of the social, political, and cultural complexities of conflicts around the world. He noted in this regard that Qatar’s history, since its founding, has been built on the principle of balance among major regional powers and the ability to engage effectively with various parties.
Dr. Al Ansari highlighted that since the mid-1990s, Qatar has chosen to transcend its geographical borders and play an active international role in mediation, noting that it has participated in numerous peace efforts, from Lebanon, Yemen, and Sudan to Afghanistan, Iran, and elsewhere.
He also addressed the treacherous Israeli attack that targeted a residential neighborhood in Doha on Sep. 9, saying that for the first time, Qatar finds itself, as mediators, in the line of direct military fire, which is an unprecedented and unacceptable escalation. Despite this, Qatar has not stopped fulfilling its mission and has continued its efforts in several mediations, including hosting peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN), and contributing to the reunification of families in Ukraine.
Dr. Al Ansari pointed to what HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said that Qatar does not claim to possess all the solutions, but it provides the platform that enables the parties to come together and choose the path to peace. Qatar will remain committed to this, along with its partners in the United Nations and the international community. 

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Afreximbank et le Centre du Commerce International renouvellent leur Partenariat en faveur du Commerce Intra-Africain

Source: Africa Press Organisation – French

La Banque Africaine d’Import-Export (Afreximbank) (https://Afreximbank.com) et le Centre du Commerce International (ITC) ont renouvelé et élargi leur Protocole d’Accord (MoU), soulignant leur engagement à renforcer le Commerce Intra-Africain, la compétitivité des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises (PME) et la coopération Sud-Sud.

Le Protocole d’Accord a été signé en marge de la Foire Commerciale Intra-Africaine 2025 (IATF2025) qui a récemment été conclu , par le Professeur Benedict Oramah, Président  du Conseil d’Administration d’Afreximbank, et Mme Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Directrice Exécutive de l’ITC.

Dans le cadre du Protocole d’Accord renouvelé, Afreximbank et l’ITC s’engagent à promouvoir la compétitivité des PME, le renforcement des capacités liées à la Zone de Libre-Échange Continentale Africaine (ZLECAf), des moyens de subsistance durables grâce aux industries créatives, le renforcement des partenariats commerciaux de l’Afrique avec les régions des Caraïbes et du monde Arabe, et un meilleur accès au financement pour les entreprises, y compris les petites entreprises.

Commentant la signature, le Professeur Oramah a déclaré que le Protocole d’Accord renouvelé contribuerait à développer les industries créatives Africaines, à approfondir la Coopération Sud-Sud avec les Caraïbes et à renforcer l’impact de la ZLECAf sur le secteur privé.

« La signature du Protocole d’Accord renouvelé en marge de l’IATF2025 démontre clairement le leadership d’Afreximbank dans la promotion du Commerce Intra-Africain et l’autonomisation des PME », a déclaré le Professeur Oramah. « En choisissant l’IATF2025 comme plateforme pour cette annonce, Afreximbank et l’ITC soulignent le rôle important de l’IATF en tant que plateforme permettant de libérer le potentiel des PME pour stimuler le développement de l’Afrique axé sur le commerce. »

Il a ajouté que le Partenariat entre Afreximbank et l’ITC les positionnait comme des leaders conjoints pour garantir que les PME et les entrepreneurs créatifs Africains bénéficient d’une visibilité mondiale et d’un accès aux marchés, précisant qu’ils intensifiaient leur collaboration afin de renforcer les PME et les industries créatives, de favoriser les liens entre l’Afrique et les Caraïbes et de faire progresser la mise en œuvre de la ZLECAf.

Mme Coke-Hamilton a déclaré : « Notre Partenariat à long terme avec Afreximbank repose sur le renforcement des relations commerciales entre l’Afrique et le reste du monde. Grâce à notre partenariat élargi, nous continuerons à travailler ensemble pour rendre le commerce plus facile, plus accessible et moins coûteux sur tout le continent, pour toutes les entreprises Africaines, y compris les plus petites et celles dirigées par des femmes et des jeunes. »

Avec plus de 112 000 visiteurs venus de 132 pays, l’IATF2025, qui s’est déroulée du 4 au 10 Septembre, s’est terminée sur une note remarquablement positive avec 48,3 milliards de dollars Américains d’accords commerciaux et d’investissement signés au cours des sept jours de l’exposition continentale. Elle a accueilli 2 148 exposants.

Pour plus d’informations, veuillez consulter le site www.IntrAfricanTradeFair.com.

Distribué par APO Group pour Afreximbank.

Contact médias :
media@intrafricatradefair.com
press@afreximbank.com

À propos de la Foire Commerciale Intra-Africaine :
Organisée par la Banque Africaine d’Import-Export (Afreximbank), la Commission de l’Union Africaine (CUA) et le Secrétariat de la Zone de Libre-Échange Continentale Africaine (ZLECAf), la Foire Commerciale Intra-Africaine (IATF) a pour objectif de fournir une plateforme unique facilitant l’échange d’informations sur le commerce et l’investissement afin de soutenir l’augmentation du commerce et des investissements Intra-Africains, en particulier dans le contexte de la mise en œuvre de l’Accord de Libre-Échange Continental Africain (ZLECAf). L’IATF rassemble des acteurs continentaux et mondiaux afin de présenter et d’exposer leurs produits et services et d’explorer les opportunités commerciales et d’investissement sur le continent. Elle fournit également une plateforme pour partager des informations sur le commerce, l’investissement et les marchés avec les parties prenantes et permet aux participants de discuter et d’identifier des solutions aux défis auxquels sont confrontés le commerce et l’investissement Intra-Africains. Outre les participants Africains, la Foire est également ouverte aux entreprises et aux investisseurs de pays non Africains intéressés par les affaires en Afrique et désireux de soutenir la transformation du continent par l’industrialisation et le développement des exportations.

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Afreximbank, International Trade Centre renew partnership for intra-African trade

Source: APO

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (https://Afreximbank.com) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) have renewed and expanded their memorandum of understanding (MoU), underscoring their commitment to strengthening intra-African trade, small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) competitiveness, and South-South cooperation.

The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the recently concluded Intra-African Trade Fair 2025 (IATF2025) by Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank and Ms. Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of ITC.

Under the renewed MoU, Afreximbank and ITC will promote SME competitiveness, capacity building related to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), sustainable livelihoods through the creative industries, strengthening of Africa’s trade partnerships with the Caribbean and Arab regions, and increased access to finance for businesses, including small businesses.

Commenting on the signing, Prof. Oramah said that the renewed MoU would help to expand Africa’s creative industries, deepen South-South cooperation with the Caribbean, and strengthen AfCFTA’s private sector impact.

“The signing of the renewed MoU on the sidelines of IATF2025 is a strong demonstration of Afreximbank’s leadership in driving intra-African trade and SME empowerment,” Prof. Oramah said. “By choosing IATF2025 as the platform for this announcement, Afreximbank and ITC are underlining the important role of the IATF as a platform for unlocking the potential of SMEs to drive Africa’s trade led development.”

He said that the partnership between Afreximbank and ITC positioned them as joint leaders in ensuring that Africa’s SMEs and creative entrepreneurs gain global visibility and market access, adding that they were scaling up their collaboration to empower the SMEs and creative industries, foster Africa-Caribbean linkages, and advance AfCFTA implementation.

Ms. Coke-Hamilton said, “Our long-term partnership with Afreximbank is one built on strengthening the way Africa engages with the rest of the world in terms of trade. With our expanded partnership, we will continue to work together to make trade easier, more accessible and less costly across the continent, for all African businesses, including the smallest and those led by women and youth.”

Attended by more than 112,000 visitors from 132 countries, IATF2025, which took place from 4 to 10 September, ended on a remarkably high note with US$48.3 billion in trade and investment deals signed over the seven days of the continental exposition. It welcomed 2,148 exhibitors.

For more information, please visit www.IntrAfricanTradeFair.com.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

Media contact:
media@intrafricatradefair.com
press@afreximbank.com

About the Intra-African Trade Fair:
Organised by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), African Union Commission (AUC) and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) is intended to provide a unique platform for facilitating trade and investment information exchange in support of increased intra-African trade and investment, especially in the context of implementing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). IATF brings together continental and global players to showcase and exhibit their goods and services and to explore business and investment opportunities in the continent. It also provides a platform to share trade, investment and market information with stakeholders and allows participants to discuss and identify solutions to the challenges confronting intra-African trade and investment. In addition to African participants, the Trade Fair is also open to businesses and investors from non-African countries interested in doing business in Africa and in supporting the continent’s transformation through industrialisation and export development.

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Binance and Franklin Templeton to Develop Digital Assets Initiatives and Products

Source: APO


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Binance (www.Binance.com), the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume and users, and Franklin Templeton (www.FranklinTempleton.com), a global investment leader with $1.6 trillion in assets under management, announced a collaboration to build digital asset initiatives and solutions tailored for a broad range of investors.

The firms will explore ways to combine Franklin Templeton’s expertise in the compliant tokenization of securities with Binance’s global trading infrastructure and investor reach. The goal is to deliver innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of investors by bringing greater efficiency, transparency and accessibility to capital markets with competitive yield generation and settlement efficiency.

“As these tools and technologies evolve from the fringes to the financial mainstream, partnerships like this one will be essential to accelerating adoption,” said Sandy Kaul, EVP, Head of Innovation at Franklin Templeton. “We see blockchain not as a threat to legacy systems, but as an opportunity to reimagine them. By working with Binance, we can harness tokenization to bring institutional-grade solutions like our Benji Technology Platform to a wider set of investors and help bridge the worlds of traditional and decentralized finance.”

“Investors are asking about digital assets to remain ahead of the curve, but they need to be accessible and dependable. By working with Binance, we can deliver breakthrough products that meet the requirements of global capital markets and co-create the portfolios of the future,” said Roger Bayston, EVP and Head of Digital Assets at Franklin Templeton. “Our goal is to take tokenization from concept to practice for clients to achieve efficiencies in settlement, collateral management, and portfolio construction at scale.”

“Binance has a record of innovating first-in-crypto solutions that unlock access and opportunities for investors. Our strategic collaboration with Franklin Templeton to develop new products and initiatives furthers our commitment to bridge crypto with traditional capital markets and open up greater possibilities,” said Catherine Chen, Head of VIP & Institutional at Binance.

More details of the collaboration and new product launches will be shared later this year.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Binance.

Follow Franklin Templeton on:
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About Binance:
Binance is a leading global blockchain ecosystem behind the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume and registered users. Binance is trusted by more than 280 million people in 100+ countries for its industry-leading security, transparency, trading engine speed, protections for investors, and unmatched portfolio of digital asset products and offerings from trading and finance to education, research, social good, payments, institutional services, and Web3 features. Binance is devoted to building an inclusive crypto ecosystem to increase the freedom of money and financial access for people around the world with crypto as the fundamental means. For more information, visit: www.Binance.com 

About Franklin Templeton:
Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE: BEN] is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 150 countries. Franklin Templeton’s mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company offers specialization on a global scale, bringing extensive capabilities in fixed income, equity, alternatives, and multi-asset solutions. With more than 1,500 investment professionals, and offices in major financial markets around the world, the California-based company has over 75 years of investment experience and $1.6 trillion in assets under management as of July 31, 2025. For more information, please visit www.FranklinTempleton.com.