Guest Opinion: AU’s Entry Into G20 a Catalyst for Global South’s Rise
By Balew Demissie: The G20, which evolved from a meeting of finance ministers in 1999 to a summit of heads of state and government in 2008 in response to the international financial crisis, has become a key forum for international economic cooperation.
Originally, the G20 focused on macroeconomic policy to prevent a global depression. Since then, the G20’s agenda has expanded to encompass a broader spectrum of global challenges such as development, climate change, and global health.
The theme of the 2024 summit is “Building a just world and a sustainable planet.” Three main priorities have also been set for the agenda: promoting social inclusion and fighting hunger to address urgent humanitarian needs, advancing energy transition and sustainable development, and reforming global governance institutions to improve their effectiveness and inclusiveness.
These priorities demonstrate the G20’s commitment to promoting equitable growth and addressing the challenges facing the global community.
In September 2023, the African Union (AU) became a full member of the G20, representing about 1.5 billion Africans and marking a significant recognition of Africa’s potential as a unified economic and political force.
African leaders have long been pushing for full membership of the G20, emphasizing the continent’s economic and demographic importance, which is essential for promoting a more equitable global financial system and addressing critical challenges such as poverty, political instability and conflict, youth unemployment, infrastructure deficits, education crisis, as well as corruption and governance issues.
The AU’s accession to the G20 not only underlines Africa’s importance in global affairs but also provides an opportunity to address its pressing issues such as poverty and development.
China was the first country to explicitly express its support for the AU’s membership of the G20.
This is a significant step forward in global governance that underscores China’s commitment to amplifying African voices at the international level. The support reflects China’s role as an advocate for the Global South and recognizes the growing importance of Africa in global affairs. By advocating for the inclusion of the AU, China is setting a precedent for other major countries to follow, strengthening the AU’s position in the G20.
China consistently advocates for Africa at the United Nations and other international platforms, aims to promote a more equitable global governance system, and supports Africa’s growing prominence on the world stage.
By leveraging its diplomatic and economic partnerships, China is promoting the inclusion of African nations in discussions on industrialization and infrastructure development. The Belt and Road Initiative, for example, demonstrates China’s commitment to investing in African infrastructure for shared growth.
As a proponent of multilateralism, China champions the interests of developing countries and ensures that African perspectives shape global economic policy. The AU’s entry into the G20 represents a significant achievement for multilateralism and ensures that the continent’s voice is heard. This membership provides a platform for African nations to address critical global issues, correct historical marginalization in international dialogues, and bridge the gap between global politics and local realities.
Through its participation, the AU can address challenges such as poverty, underdevelopment, and climate vulnerability while strengthening regional solidarity and increasing Africa’s influence on global policy decisions.
The AU is committed to promoting sustainable development in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which aims to position Africa as a global actor. At the upcoming G20 summit, the AU will play a crucial role in addressing the needs of the continent.
The AU shall prioritize consistent participation, unify the economic positions of African policymakers to form a unified voice, and develop a clear agenda to reform the global financial architecture to meet Africa’s estimated annual financing needs of 1.3 trillion U.S. dollars by 2030. Priorities include advocating for African financial inclusion, fostering partnerships, emphasizing youth and gender issues, promoting peace and security as well as debt relief through the G20 common framework, overcoming bureaucratic challenges, and engaging private creditors.
It should also prioritize addressing conflicts, strengthening democracy, promoting industrialization, and increasing economic growth through initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area.
It is also important to emphasize climate change mitigation by redirecting investments to green projects in line with the Paris Agreement and advocating for inclusive prosperity through digital transformation. Finally, the AU needs to navigate geopolitical tensions within African countries to promote cooperation and multilateralism.
The AU shall actively participate in G20 decision-making to effectively represent African interests. It should also discuss the causes of conflicts and military coups in Africa as well as food insecurity exacerbated by climate change.
The AU leadership should also advocate for the implementation of existing agreements and the promotion of a skilled workforce to foster sustainable development. Furthermore, the AU should advocate for foreign direct investment to be prioritized in the G20 agenda and call for a coordinated international investment policy to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Given the demographic advantage of Africa’s young population, the AU also seeks to engage with G20 countries on macroeconomic policies to ensure that African perspectives are included in discussions on global challenges and ultimately enhance Africa’s role in shaping a sustainable global future.
The AU’s membership in the G20 significantly strengthens the representation of African nations in global governance.
This inclusion gives their voices more weight in international discussions.
Moreover, this inclusion promotes stronger multilateral cooperation among the Global South, enables collective advocacy for shared interests, and advances inclusive reforms in international institutions.
The AU can emphasize critical development issues such as poverty alleviation and food security and align global agendas with the priorities of the Global South. In addition, the AU should advocate for collaborative approaches to address global challenges such as climate change, health security, food security, economic inequality, geopolitical tensions, migration and displacement, cybersecurity threats, water scarcity, biodiversity loss, and energy transition.
The AU’s entry into the G20 provides Africans with opportunities for capacity building and knowledge sharing with industrialized nations.
By influencing global governance reforms and conflict resolution, the AU’s participation in the G20 promotes global peace and stability, which are essential for sustainable development. Overall, the AU’s presence strengthens Africa’s role in global affairs by initiating far-reaching changes that benefit the Global South and promote a more equitable and sustainable global landscape.
Editor’s note: Balew Demissie is a communication and publication consultant at the Policy Studies Institute of Ethiopia.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Xinhua News Agency.