News Briefs 29 July 2025
South Africa’s G20 Presidency
South Africa’s G20 Meeting: Tackling illicit financial flows and advancing social protection
It was a busy week for the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) with the 4th G20 Development Working Group (DWG) Meeting and Ministerial Meeting, focusing on the need to tackle illicit financial flows, strengthen domestic resource mobilisation, advance inclusive social protection systems and align development finance with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At the ministerial meeting, Minister Maropene Ramokgopa stated that South Africa’s presidency placed particular emphasis on two critical enablers: the mobilisation of domestic resources through curbing illicit financial flows and the acceleration of universal, inclusive, and adequate social protection.
“With just five years remaining before the 2030 deadline, only 52.4% of the global population is effectively covered by at least one form of social protection. In Sub-Saharan Africa, that figure stands at a mere 13%, compared to 86% in North America and Europe. The disparity is stark. Social protection, in particular social security, is not a luxury. It is a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of resilient societies,” Ramokgopa said.
She highlighted their pride in the 16 points of the Call to Action, which advocate for expanded Social Protection coverage. This expansion aims to accelerate progress towards the SDGs, particularly in addressing poverty and hunger, by increasing social protection coverage for at least one category by 2 per cent annually in countries currently lagging behind.
IOL 27 July 2025
BRICS and G20 poised to reshape geopolitical landscape
In 2025, the scale, scope, and velocity of Trumpism are so disruptive that new forms of partnerships are evolving in ensuring the global governance consensus and saving UN Multilateralism. The Global South nations, especially G77, desperately need multilateralism to function and for fair WTO and WHO to work in order to broaden the benefits of trade, financial reforms and any hope for the UN SDGs.
The BRICS Rio communique in July is significant. The 130-point-plus final declaration not only thoroughly details every major issue with calculated moderation, but also resolutely sets a trademark BRICS tone – and a clear set of humanistic values – focused on three strategic pillars: economy-finance, designing a new global security framework, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges, the overarching umbrella of inclusiveness and mutual respect.
The following week, the G20 Finance Ministers meeting (minus the US) in Zimbali was unable to reach a consensus statement on key issues of global minimum tax and African debt relief. While both the BRICS and G7 core are members of these groupings, prioritising different themes and modalities is proving illusory.
Saving Multilateralism
Both the G20 and BRICS blocs are converging out of necessity at this moment in time. The BRICS Rio July 2025 declaration is groundbreaking in its scope, depth and committee clarity in saving the UN system and reforming multilateral institutions for common development and humanity, adopting the Leaders framework, declaration on Climate Finance, AI Governance and Partnership on Elimination of Diseases. (BRICS Rio Declaration https://brics.br)
In an age where AI is leading to deepening inequalities and disruptions, the BRICS commitment to AI Governance shows a deep commitment to multilateralism. Aligned to the UN Pact for the Future, the BRICS declaration is rooted in UN principles that balance both Digital Industrialisation, AI inclusion and privacy safeguards. There is good alignment with both G7 and G20 and the new EU AI Act.
IOL 27 July 2025
Global risks, local stakes: Can SA deliver at the G20?
As South Africa prepares to host the 2025 G20 Summit, the first ever held on African soil, there’s an undeniable weight of symbolism. This summit, involving the world’s leading economies and global organisations, is a chance to showcase South Africa’s leadership and ability to broker international solutions.
However, as Volker von Widdern, risk principal at Riskonet Africa, argues, the true challenge lies in transforming this historic moment into tangible outcomes – outcomes that are credible, measurable, and actionable.
On this latest episode of the Mandates & Megaphones podcast, hosted by Jeremy Maggs in partnership with Standard Bank, Von Widdern provides valuable insights into the complex landscape of global risk management that South Africa will navigate as it hosts this important event.
With systemic risks accelerating and interconnections growing more complex, the G20 Summit is a high-stakes platform for decision-making. Von Widdern emphasises that South Africa must leverage its unique position in the global economy, not just as a participant, but as a mediator and strategist.
“The G20 isn’t just a moment for diplomacy. It’s a test of design, a test of coherence, and a test of credibility.”
This perspective speaks to the inherent complexity of the G20 structure. Comprised of 19 individual nations, the European Union, and 17 engagement groups – including business, labour, youth, and civil society – the G20 is a sprawling network.
Moneyweb 27 July 2025
G20 energy experts discuss the impact of nuclear expansion projects
The North West Department of Electricity and Energy says South Africa’s G20 Presidency will greatly benefit the country as it plans to expand its nuclear power generation capacity.
South Africa’s nuclear energy programme has been in operation since 1984.
The department will convene the third G20 Energy Transitions Working Group meeting at Sun City.
Stakeholders will collaborate and share knowledge, including information about the role of nuclear energy in mitigating the effects of climate change. This as South Africa is actively transitioning from its reliance on coal-fired power plants to renewable energy sources and expansion of its nuclear programme.
This is key to economic growth, job creation, and the move to clean energy.
G20 Energy Transitions | Ramokgopa says no one must be left behind in the global energy transition.
Authorities are hopeful that South Africa’s G20 Presidency is opening opportunities for investments in the country’s transition to renewable energy.
The department’s Deputy Director General Zizamele Mbambo says, “The G20 comprises some of the most advanced countries that have wealth, they could find opportunities to invest in South Africa as we are dealing with issues of our economy and we’re looking into investment from different countries. So, the G20 provides that platform, and also looking into the energy space, it is a perfect opportunity that South Africa would utilise to promote our energy mix.”
The government will also explore all financing options for the nuclear energy programme.
“There are innovative financing options that can be explored in terms of deploying the nuclear power program. So, in our view, there [are] opportunities that South Africa would be able to afford a nuclear power program, looking into a combination of different financing options that are available in the market and seeing which one would work best for the country,” says Mbambo.
SABC New 27 July 2025
Egypt, South Africa pledge to deepen development cooperation at G20 meeting
Egypt and South Africa have pledged to deepen their cooperation on development and align their perspectives on regional and global issues, Egypt’s planning ministry said, following a meeting between the two countries’ ministers on the sidelines of the G20 Development Ministerial Meetings.
In a statement, the ministry said Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, met with Maropene Lydia Ramokgopa, South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, during the meetings hosted and chaired by South Africa.
Al-Mashat expressed Egypt’s appreciation for the invitation to participate in the G20 meetings, where it has been a guest nation for the past five years. She affirmed Egypt’s commitment to coordinating with South Africa during its G20 presidency to advance the restructuring of the global financial system and achieve tangible progress in development financing.
The minister also commended South Africa’s leadership for highlighting the development challenges facing the African continent.
The two ministers emphasised the strategic importance of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in fostering economic growth and regional integration and called for closer cooperation to support its implementation. They also stressed the importance of expanding infrastructure projects across the continent, such as the Cairo–Cape Town Corridor, to drive development and boost competitiveness.
Daily News Egypt 27 July 2025
Africa needs a voice on information integrity and media freedom
South Africa’s G20 presidency shouldn’t drop the baton passed by Brazil on this crucial issue that underpins good governance.
As leaders of the world’s major economies prepare for the November G20 Johannesburg Summit, champions of South Africa’s journalism industry are working to ensure that information integrity and media freedom are not overlooked.
The two issues are inextricably linked, argue Media Monitoring Africa and the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF). Together, the two organisations are spearheading Media20 (M20) in the lead-up to the G20 talks, to highlight the issues.
The United Nations (UN) Global Principles for Information Integrity put freedom of expression, accuracy, reliability and an independent, free and pluralistic media centre-stage.
M20 highlights the blind spots in the new artificial intelligence (AI) landscape – especially how citizens receive news and fact-based information online. It warns that ‘current trends foresee an increase in low-quality and false information, with increasing AI “hallucinations” and deceptive deepfakes being produced and circulated.’
Traditional journalism is considered an antidote to such falsehoods as ‘it debunks lies and exposes information operations,’ say M20 campaigners. It also ‘contributes reliable news and informed comment into the public information ecosystem.’ Yet traditional journalism is under threat, with newsrooms struggling to compete with digital platforms due to a complex mix of business, technical and content challenges.
ISS 17 July 2025