G20 sherpas discuss preparations for summit

South Africa hosted the second online meeting of the G20 Sherpas. At it, the two sides assessed the republic's readiness to host the association's summit to be held in November 2025 in Johannesburg.

South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation Director-General Zane Dangor noted the importance of continuing to work with multilateral institutions, including the UN, to address global challenges. He stressed that South Africa is counting on the support of both G20 countries and invited states and international organisations to make the summit a success.

"The objective for today is let's take stock of what has happened and where we need to improve, but what are the key issues that may need special attention for the negotiations," Dangor said.

In turn, India's Sherpa to the G20 Amitabh Kant emphasised at the meeting that the G20 nations should work together to overcome global challenges. This is reported by ANI, a partner of TV BRICS.

Representatives of the UAE, Ahmed Al Sayegh, Minister of State and UAE G20 Sherpa, as well as Mahash Al Hameli, UAE Ambassador to South Africa and UAE Sous Sherpa, also attended the meeting, according to the Emirati Foreign Ministry's press office. The delegates emphasised the UAE's active participation in G20 working groups in several priority areas, including culture, education, women's empowerment, artificial intelligence, digital economy, climate, and other areas.

South Africa has invited the UAE to attend the G20 summit as a guest state. The country will join the summit for the sixth time, the report said.

South Africa assumed the presidency of the G20 in December 2024 under the motto "Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability". According to the republic's President Cyril Ramaphosa, among the country's main priorities for this period are strengthening support for states in the Global South, increasing access to development finance and adapting to climate change.

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