SOUTH African President Cyril Ramaphosa made an impassioned plea at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro for immediate action to end the conflict in Gaza, while calling for a fundamental overhaul of global governance institutions.
In a forceful address to world leaders, Ramaphosa highlighted the plight of Palestinians, declaring: “The people of Palestine have been denied their right to self-determination and are under the yoke of a brutal and violent occupation. As the G20 collective, we need to add our voices to ensure that the carnage that is taking place in Gaza is ended.”
The South African leader emphasized that international law must apply equally to all nations. “There can be no exceptions and no country is immune from these obligations. We are all bound by the same rules,” he insisted.
Ramaphosa also delivered a stark message about the urgent need to reform global institutions, particularly the United Nations, to make them more representative and effective. “These institutions need to be inclusive and representative,” he stated, adding that “The UN must lead the way in advancing peace and security, tackling poverty and under-development, and protecting human rights.”
He specifically criticized the current system’s inability to prevent humanitarian crises, noting that the UN “must be capable of combating the use of hunger as a weapon of war, as we are now seeing in some parts of the world, including in Gaza and Sudan.”
Looking ahead to South Africa’s upcoming G20 presidency beginning December 1, Ramaphosa pledged to “strengthen and reform the multilateral system to effectively respond to global realities – and to ensure that no country is left behind and no one is left behind.”
The speech also addressed broader reforms needed in global finance and trade, with Ramaphosa calling for more ambitious targets for grants and concessional financing for developing economies, particularly in Africa. He urged for WTO reforms to create “a fair trading system for all” that would provide developing economies with the policy space needed to advance their industrialization goals.
South Africa’s Presidency will be the first time an African country has presided over the G20. We will use this moment to bring the development priorities of the African Continent and the Global South more firmly onto the agenda of the G20.
— Cyril Ramaphosa ???? (@CyrilRamaphosa) November 19, 2024
https://t.co/ryLjdPJX8t
