New Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) The upcoming G-20 summit in Johannesburg will be substantive in addressing key global challenges despite its boycott by US President Donald Trump, South Africa's High Commissioner to India Anil Sooklal has said, voicing optimism about success of the annual gathering of the leaders of the world's largest economies.

The summit on November 22-23 will mark the first time it takes place in the African continent.

In a pointed criticism of the US boycott of the summit, Sooklal said that although it has created "a new challenge" for South Africa's G20 presidency, "the G20 is too big to fail".

The high commissioner was speaking at a conference titled 'G20@20: Africa's Moment -- The Once and Future World Order', which was organised by Centre for Global India Insights (CGII), a think tank, in partnership with India Writes Network and South Africa's High Commission in India.

US President Trump earlier this week said that no US official would attend the G-20 summit over what he claimed was persecution of white people in South Africa.

"For the first time in the history of the G20, when South Africa took over the chair on the first of December last year and announced the theme of our presidency as well as our key priorities, we had a key G20 member totally disown the theme and not support it. It has never happened before," Sooklal said at the conference last night.

"We may face challenges, but I firmly believe the G20 remains a powerful force -- the only platform, given the weaknesses of the global multilateral system, that bridges the North and South," he said.

Looking ahead, the high commissioner sounded hopeful about the future of G20.

"My view is that the G20 is too big to fail. The UN has had a turbulent past two decades, but it continues because we believe in it. It is our organization, where we have an equal voice and a platform to discuss challenges collectively," he said.

In his remarks, Sooklal highlighted major issues on the G20 summit agenda in Johannesburg that includes addressing issues relating to inclusive growth and inequality emergency.

Eminent speakers who participated in the panel discussion included Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney, India's Sou Sherpa Shambhu Hakki, Australia's High Commissioner to India Peter Green, and Brazilian envoy Kenneth Nobrega.

Describing the Johannesburg summit as "a proud moment for Africa and for South Africa", Hakki pledged New Delhi's support for core priorities of South Africa's G20 presidency.

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expected visit to South Africa to participate in the G20 summit, Hakki highlighted India's role as a consensus-builder in a world riven by crises and said that New Delhi will play a proactive role in advancing interests of the Global South.

"We are hopeful that together we will be able to deliver ambitious outcomes for the Global South in the upcoming G20 Leaders' Summit," he said.

"Most of global growth today is driven by the Global South. The G20 should remain sensitive to the issues and barriers faced by developing countries," he said.

Looking ahead, Hakki said that India will continue to amplify the cause of the Global South in the next cycle of presidencies as well.

Rajya Sabha MP Sahney focused on enhancing coordination and cooperation among G20 economies to shape the narrative of growth and opportunity.

"As the first G20 Summit on African soil, the spotlight is on Africa as the new economic frontier -- a continent of hope, dynamism, and new opportunities.

"We in India are excited about Africa's emergence as the world's next growth frontier and take pride in the success stories emerging from this rising continent. It is a matter of special pride to see the kind of global attention Africa is now receiving, which it deserves," he said.

In a similar vein, Brazilian ambassador Nobrega expressed hope that the G20 will continue to focus on priorities of the Global South after the G20 presidency passes on to developed countries.

"Many of the challenges of the developing world are increasingly intertwined with those of the developed world. The Global South is producing solutions that are equally valuable to the North, particularly in areas such as the climate crisis," he said.

Supporting South Africa's G20 presidency, Australian envoy Philip Green focused on climate action and preserving the global trading system. "The WTO may have imperfections, but it remains indispensable. Reform it, yes, ”but preserve it," he said.

Manish Chand, CEO, CGII, said: "As a new world order emerges, the world will have to deal with interlocking emergencies - climate emergency, financial emergency and inequality emergency." PTI MPB KVK KVK