UN Secretary General Calls for Greater Solidarity with Africa at G20

António Guterres urged concrete action on climate and peace during a press conference ahead of the leaders' summit in Johannesburg.

The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, today called for greater solidarity with Africa and concrete actions on climate and peace during the G20 leaders' summit, which begins tomorrow, the 22nd, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In a press conference prior to the event's official opening, the Portuguese diplomat emphasized the need for deep reforms in the global financial architecture to benefit developing nations, particularly those in Africa.

“The G20 can help to redress historical injustices and drive reforms that grant developing countries—and Africa in particular—a real voice in shaping global policies,” Guterres told accredited media.

The international leader stated that the African continent continues to suffer from chronic underrepresentation in global institutions, a legacy of decades of colonial rule, while facing crushing debt burdens and a shrinking fiscal space.

On the economic front, he demanded that the group's members fulfill the commitments made in June during the Development Financing Conference in Seville, which would involve tripling the lending capacity of multilateral development banks.

Regarding the climate crisis, Guterres warned that countries have failed to maintain the 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature increase limit and urgently called for a doubling of adaptation funding to at least $40 billion this year.

He further criticized that, although 90 percent of new energy capacity comes from renewable sources and global investment in clean energy reached two trillion dollars last year, only a negligible proportion reached Africa.

“Africa should be at the heart of this clean energy revolution,” emphasized the top UN representative.

Addressing global conflicts, Guterres listed the most devastating crises in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine, and Gaza, urging G20 members to use their influence to halt the fighting.

“Everywhere—from Haiti to Yemen and Myanmar—we must choose peace anchored in international law,” concluded the Secretary-General, reaffirming the central role of multilateral diplomacy in conflict resolution.