Given its potential to impact the global economy (as its member nations account for 85% of the world’s GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the global population), the G20 is ideally placed for addressing global concerns and intervening to effectuate change. More specifically, the period of 2022-2025, wherein the constellation of the four Global South emerging economies – Indonesia, India, Brazil, and South Africa assume charge of the G20, will be a golden period. It will be the first time in G20’s history that the leading Global South countries will have the repeated chance to create a meaningful understanding of the uniqueness of their stories of development and the strategies needed to overcome endemic, borderless challenges.
These four G20 Presidencies come at a time when the UN has called for a reset towards the SDG Agenda and a renewed commitment to ‘Leave No One Behind’. This opportunity provides a platform to underscore the core principles of South-South cooperation in the global development agenda and enable sharing of knowledge and technologies between South-South and South-North to resolve the prevailing issues of the least developed countries.
As India inches closer to wrapping up its Presidency, GHS and ORF have developed a paper that captures the significance of this unique G20 line up (Indonesia, India, Brazil, and South Africa). This paper explores the priorities that Brazil and South Africa can take forward, keeping in mind the need to ensure continuity of key development priorities that have an outsized impact on the SDG agenda as well as balancing of regional and national needs of these Presidencies.
GHS in partnership with ORF proposes to host a convening to discuss the abovementioned paper on October 27, 2023. This event will also serve as an opportunity to bring together key experts including foreign policy and subject-matter experts, and country representatives from India, Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia for discussions on issues outlined in the paper.
