Opening remarks by Hon. Maropene Ramokgopa, Minister in The Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Republic Of South Africa Chair of the G20 Development Planning Ministers’ Meeting, Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga
Your Excellencies, Fellow Ministers of G20 Member States, and International Organisations,
Your Excellencies, Ministers Representing Guest Member States,
Your Excellencies, Heads of Delegation of International Organisations, United Nations Agencies and other Development Partners,
Honourable Mr Mandla Ndlovu, Premier of the beautiful Province of Mpumalanga and other Members of the Provincial Executive,
Honourable Mr Seiso Mohai, Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation,
Distinguished Delegates of the Development Working Group
Invited Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good Morning, Sanibonani, Thobela
I have the privilege and honour of officially opening this G20 Development Ministerial Meeting. I wish to welcome all of you, Excellencies, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Heads of Delegations, and Senior Officials, to our meeting under the auspices of the South African Presidency of the G20, which, for the first time in the history of the Group, is convening on African soil.
We also welcome you to the world-renownedKruger National Park, which is one of Africa’s largest game reserves. The Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience and conservation endeavour that is not only a flagship of South African national parks, but also embodies the collective duty we all have to drive sustainable development and protect the environment.
Let me thank each and every one of you, Excellencies, for travelling to our beautiful country. Your participation in this Ministerial Meeting is a testament to your country’scommitment to the purposes and objectives of the G20.
We meet during the month of immense historical and moral significance – Nelson Mandela Month. Each year during July, we are all invited to pause and reflect on the enduring legacy of the founding father of democratic South Africa, Tata Nelson Mandela, whose life embodied the ideals of peace, justice, and the unwavering pursuit of human dignity.
The 18th of July is globally celebrated as Nelson Mandela International Day, in honour of Madiba, as he was affectionately known. The day serves as a solemn reminder that development is not merely a matter of statistics, plans, or policy frameworks – it is fundamentally about people. It is about realising human potential, restoring dignity, and dismantling system barriers that entrench inequality and exclusion.
As we open our deliberations today, may we draw inspiration from Madiba’s enduring wisdom:
“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others.”
Excellencies,
South Africa assumed the Presidency of the G20 at a critical juncture where the world is facing complex challenges, including economic instability, geopolitical tensions, growing inequalities, and climate change, among others.
These challenges have a negative impact on our collective resolve to promote sustainable development.
Notwithstanding these dynamics, we remain optimistic of the collective and bold response by the G20 Members, as we work towards attaining our core mandate of promoting global economic cooperation and development, focusing on strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
During his address at the G20 High-Level Opening Session on 25 September 2024, held on the margins of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa, outlined the country’s priorities for its G20 Presidency, highlighting that:
“We aim to mobilise the countries of the world towards taking practical steps that will resolve global challenges, while strengthening international cooperation within a rules-based system”
The President further noted that:
“In a connected world, the challenges faced by one nation affect all nations. Through solidarity,we seek to advance a unified effort and mutual support among member nations. By advancing equality, we seek to ensure fair treatment, opportunities and advancement for all individuals and nations”
Since 2016, the Development Working Group has championed a people-centred development model rooted in justice, sustainability, and resilience. Accordingly, since the first meeting of the Development Working Group this year, on 21 January 2025, our leadership of this Working Group has been guided by the resolve to contribute to fostering global solidarity, equality and sustainability in line with the overarching theme of the South African G20 Presidency, which is “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability”.
Excellencies,
As you are aware, South Africa has identified three priority areas for the G20 Development Working Group, namely:
- Universal social protection;
- Financing for development and the urgent need to address illicit financial flows in pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and
- The importance of investing in enabling optimal provision of global public goods
We believe that these priorities are important pillars for accelerating progress toward achieving the SDGs and represent a natural progression from the priorities of the previous G20 Presidencies.
These priorities are clearly aligned with the Pact of the Future, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, our country’s National Development Plan, and the recently adopted principles of the Seville Commitment at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4).
This Development Ministers Meeting marks the culmination of extensive and thoughtful engagement within the G20 Development Working Group. Your delegations have contributed constructively to the shaping of an Outcome Document and Ministerial Declaration that not only speaks to the urgency of our shared development agenda, but also affirms our common ambition to leave no one behind. I thank you for your unwavering commitment and collaborative spirit.
Excellencies,
As Ministers entrusted with the stewardship of development, we need to confront the complex crises facing the world with a bold, strategic, and people-centred approach.
In forging such an approach, we are guided not only by Madiba’s legacy but also by the institutional memory and commitments of this very forum.
We recall that in 2016, G20 Leaders committed to advancing policy coherence for sustainable development, endorsing the G20 Action Plan on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,and aligning with the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.
This commitment has been consistently reaffirmed. Most recently, under Brazil’s Presidency, G20 Leaders declared the G20 as the premier forum for international economic cooperation and recommitted to supporting developing countries in their efforts to achieve the SDGs. Our Leaders also endorsed the G20 2023 Action Plan on Accelerating Progress on the SDGs.
It is in this spirit that South Africa’s Presidency has placed particular emphasis on two critical enablers: the mobilisation of domestic resources through curbing illicit financial flows and the acceleration of universal, inclusive, and adequate social protection.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
With just five years remaining before the 2030 deadline, only 52.4% of the global population is effectively covered by at least one form of social protection. In Sub-Saharan Africa, that figure stands at a mere 13%, compared to 86% in North America and Europe. The disparity is stark. Social protection, in particular social security, is not a luxury. It is a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of resilient societies.
We commend Member States for your unequivocal commitment to the adoption and acceleration of the roll-out of universal Social Protection Floors in accordance with the provisions and guidance of the ILO Recommendation 202 on Social Protection Floors.
It is quite exciting that the DWG acknowledged the compelling evidence that establishing permanent social protection systems, including health services, benefits economic growth and helps reduce inequality and poverty. The meeting also emphasised the importance of recognising social security as a fundamental human right globally.
Equally, the Development Working Group acknowledged with appreciation several agreements made during Brazil's G20 Presidency in 2024, including the creation of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty. Furthermore, the Development Working Group expanded upon Indonesia's G20 emphasis on adaptive social protection to tackle the impacts of the climate crisis. It recognised that societies with proactive social protection systems are more resilient to various risks.
We are proud of the 16 points of the Call to Action which are clear in a united support for the expansion of Social Protection cover, which will improve the lagging progress in meeting Sustainable Development Goals, specifically Poverty and Hunger, with the aim of increasing coverage of social protection for at least one category by 2 percent per annum for countries that have not.
Recognising the need to be explicit about financing of social protection, member states committed to increasing Domestic Resource Mobilisation, international finance, and to sharing technical and financial support to promote greater SP coverage.
There was a recognition of the urgent need to redesign contributory social insurance systems to meet the realities and the needs of informal and atypical workers. Members are also excited about the emerging research on the economic multiplier effect of social security spending, which can make social security schemes partially self-financing, and have committed to undertaking further research in this regard.
We recognised the greater vulnerability and hence the need for greater protection of women, and also sought, where appropriate, to use social protection to catalyse access to employment through Active Labour Market Strategies.
We also committed to drawing further on the advances and advantages of digitalisation, through the Digital Convergence Initiative under the Global Partnership for Universal Social Protection to Achieve the SDGs, while being mindful not to exacerbate inequalities through the digital divide.
To uphold our commitments and transform discussions into meaningful action, we have empowered the Social Protection Interagency Board (SPIAC-B), in partnership with the ILO, to monitor and annually report to the G20 DWG on the progress made in realising this call to action.
Excellencies,
Social protection must not be seen as charity, but as a cornerstone of development, which fosters economic vitality, societal unity, and gender parity.
Currently, investment in social protection remains dangerously low, with over 75% of low-income countries spending more on debt servicing than on healthcare. Over 50% of low-income countries spend more on debt than on education. We need to shape all of society to understand social protection as an investment in human capital, which can be leveraged as a tool for inclusive economic growth and transformation of the economy and labour market.
Therefore, it is important to integrate social protection policies into national economic growth and empowerment strategies, as well as decent work, agricultural, rural, and industrial policies, and initiatives that support labour market transformation, gender equality, and the empowerment of women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
It is due to these considerations that, despite its fiscal constraints, South Africa has chosen to invest in human capital and human dignity. Nearly 60% of South Africa’s non-interest public expenditure is allocated to the social wage, which encompasses:
1. Free education, school meals, primary healthcare for all, and essential public services such as housing, electricity, water, and sanitation;
2. Non-contributory income support for vulnerable groups, including children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities (this was expanded during the COVID-19pandemic to support those with no source of income); and
3. Public employment programmes targeting women and youth as primary beneficiaries.
In parallel, contributory social security mechanisms, such as the Compensation Fund, the Road Accident Fund, and the Unemployment Insurance Fund, extend protections even to informal and atypical workers, including domestic workers. Research suggests that there are benefits – girls stay longer in school, while recipients of the child support grant perform well at school, among other examples.
Excellencies,
While the demand for SDG financing escalates, official development flows and domestic fiscal capacities remain insufficient. Blended finance has mobilised only $213 billion to date, with theleast-developed countries receiving a paltry 6%. This underscores the imperative to strengthen domestic resource mobilisation and to curb illicit financial flows (IFFs) decisively.
IFFs remain a critical challenge for many countries, especially in developing and low-income countries. Although inherently difficult to quantify, estimates suggest that IFFs amount to around $1.5 trillion annually. The African Union Economic Commission’s High-Level Panel on the Illicit Financial Flows, led by the former President of South Africa, His Excellency President Thabo Mbeki, found that the African Continent loses an estimated 88.6 billion US Dollars annually due to IFFs. These resources, often lost by countries, could be utilised to construct schools, hospitals, and essential public infrastructure, as well as fuel innovation and climate resilience.
Therefore, South Africa strongly supports the continued engagement of the Financial Action Task Force in identifying gaps and enhancing global cooperation and urges the G20 to adopt an even more development-centred approach to financial integrity, grounded in transparency, fairness, and capacity support.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As far back as 2016, G20 Leaders pledged to intensify efforts to combat IFFs, including trade mis-invoicing, a major obstacle to mobilising domestic resources.
In 2025, the DWG took a strategic step forward by consolidating work on IFFs, building on previous presidencies and aligning with SDG Target 16.4. Today, we present a framework of high-level principles designed to serve as a foundation for systemic action, including:
- Advancing global financial transparency;
- Promoting integrity and the exchange of financial data;
- Establishing equitable tax systems;
- Enhancing multilateral cooperation and enforcement mechanisms;
- Investing in the capacity of revenue authorities and financial institutions;
- Strengthening procurement transparency and accountability; and
- Promoting technological innovation to track, trace, and recover stolen assets.
These principles are further reinforced by the landmark Seville Outcome Document from the Fourth Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), which calls for:
- A renewed global compact on financing sustainable development grounded in fairness and long-term resilience;
- Reform of the international financial architecture, including increased concessional finance and reallocation of Special Drawing Rights;
- Stronger national financing frameworks to align domestic and private investments with the SDGs; and
- Expanded fiscal space through enhanced domestic resource mobilisation and the curbing of IFFs.
As I conclude, Your Excellencies, it is worth mentioning that there were very intense debates on the optimal provision, protection and financing of global public goods. The COVID-19 pandemic taught us a valuable lesson that we need to deal differently with global public goods that are non-excludable and non-rival, and have cross-border externalities. I hope that moving forward, there will be work done through the Ubuntu Commission for those interested G20 countries. It really cannot be business as usual.
Excellencies,
Let us seize this moment. Let our Declaration not be merely a statement of intent, but a strategic instrument of transformation. Let it reflect the voices and priorities of the Global South. Let it honour the “Compromiso de Sevilla,” and advance the momentum of FfD4. Above all, let it embody the enduring values of Nelson Mandela, of solidarity, courage, justice, and the unshakeable belief in the dignity of all humanity.
I look forward to our deliberations and to the collective endorsement of a Declaration that will chart a bold and equitable path toward sustainable development for all.
I thank you!
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