By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Maropane Ramokgopa has called for renewed global solidarity to tackle pressing development challenges.
The G20 Development Working Group (DWG) kicked off its third meeting on Sunday at KwaZulu-Natal, coinciding with Africa Day.
Africa Day, celebrated on 25 May, marks the day the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) was founded.
The AU was originally established as the OAU on May 25, 1963, and relaunched in July 2002 in Durban.
“We meet on a significant day, as the African continent and the global community celebrate this day, which we call Africa Day. We remember the founding of the Organisation of African Unity, where 33 African governments joined hands to establish this organisation,” said Ramokgopa.
The minister added that the establishment of the organisation was to underscore the importance of solidarity and partnership in fostering development for the continent and ensuring liberation.
“It is therefore befitting that the South African government commemorates Africa Day with the theme ‘Building the Africa we want through Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability’.”
Over the next three days, delegates will deliberate on three key priority areas, including strengthening domestic resource mobilisation through curbing illicit financial flows, advancing social protection systems, and supporting access to global public goods.
Ramokgopa underscored the importance of policy coherence, welcoming the DWG’s coordination with other G20 workstreams.
“These are vital linkages that reinforce the G20’s unique position as a platform that bridges development, finance and global governance. As we embark on this important work, I want to remind us all that what we do here matters. Our negotiations over the next few days are about the livelihoods of billions of people around the world, and the kind of future we collectively wish to shape.”
She believes the working group must be a vessel for hope and action, where global ambition meets solutions to global challenges, practical delivery and where solidarity guides their solutions.
Additionally, the working group should reinvigorate multilateralism, strengthen development cooperation, and forge collective solutions that leave no one behind.
Ramokgopa said she was encouraged to see the working group deepening its coordination with other G20 working groups and workstreams, including Finance, Climate Sustainability, Employment, and Anti-Corruption, to ensure policy coherence and systemic impact.
The G20’s strength lies in its ability to connect development, finance, and global governance, creating crucial linkages that underscore its unique role.