Johannesburg, Feb 20 (PTI) As a premier forum for international economic cooperation, the G20 needs to play a leading role in the global agenda for people, planet and prosperity, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday.

Ramaphosa made the remarks in his opening address at the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting, which was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and several world leaders.

South Africa holds the Presidency of the G20 for this year, the first time that it is being hosted on the African continent.

"Just as cooperation supported the progress of early humans, our modern-day challenges can only be resolved through collaboration, partnership and solidarity. That is why South Africa has placed solidarity, equality and sustainability at the centre of our G20 Presidency,” Ramaphosa said.

"We would like our G20 Presidency to be one in which all voices are heard and in which all views count,” he added.

Ramaphosa highlighted geopolitical tensions, rising intolerance, conflict and war, climate change, pandemics and energy and food insecurity as issues that “threaten an already fragile global coexistence.” “These challenges are interconnected. They require responses that are inclusive and coordinated. Yet there is a lack of consensus among major powers, including in the G20, on how to respond to these issues of global significance.

“Extreme poverty and growing inequality within and among nations weigh heavily on the conscience of the world,” the president said.

Ramaphosa said that the G20 nations should not waiver in attempts to meet the ambitious targets set by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which was just five years away.

"As the international community, we committed ourselves to this ambitious agenda to end poverty and hunger, to protect the planet, to achieve gender equality, universal education and health coverage, and to promote decent work and sustainable economic growth,” he said.

Pointing out that the G20 represents over two-thirds of the world’s population, Ramaphosa said the nations of the world look to the G20 for leadership on the most pressing issues confronting the world.

“Its decisions and policies must reflect the needs and aspirations of all who form part of the G20 family. The G20 must also seek to reflect the needs and aspirations of all people who call this planet home,” he said as he reiterated the call for reform at the UN as well.

“The UN was established to reaffirm fundamental human rights, to promote social progress and to save successive generations from the scourge of war. While these essential goals of the United Nations remain, the world has changed in fundamental ways. The UN must change accordingly,” Ramaphosa said.

"We continue to call for the UN Security Council, the multilateral trading system and the international financial architecture to be reformed to make them more representative, more agile and more responsive to today’s global realities. As the G20, the principles of the UN Charter, multilateralism and international law must remain at the centre of all our endeavours,” he affirmed.

Referring to the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Sudan, in the Sahel and Gaza, Ramaphosa called for the G20 to continue advocating for diplomatic solutions.

“Our own experience as South Africa is that the peaceful resolution of conflict through inclusive dialogue is the foremost guarantor of sustainable, lasting peace,” he said, referring to Nelson Mandela leading the nation to a peaceful transition to democracy in 1994 after decades of white minority rule that disenfranchised the majority Black citizens.

Ramaphosa called on G20 delegates to address in deliberations that will continue on Friday the four priorities that South Africa has identified for its G20 Presidency.

“Firstly, we should take action to strengthen disaster resilience and response, (including) climate-induced natural disasters (that) affect countries around the world.

“Secondly, we should take action to ensure debt sustainability for low-income countries, (because) developing economies are currently experiencing the highest borrowing costs in nearly two decades. The third priority identified was mobilising finance for a just energy transition.

“Although climate change affects developed and developing economies alike, the impact is uneven. Every nation has a responsibility to contribute to the global climate effort in line with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities,” the president said.

The fourth priority is to harness critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development.

“We will champion an inclusive G20 framework on green industrialisation and investment to promote value addition and beneficiation of critical minerals. South Africa will seek to take forward the recommendations of the 2024 report of the UN Secretary General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals,” he said.PTI FH ZH ZH