Minister Maropene Ramokgopa: 3rd meeting of the G20 Development Working Group

Date: 25 May 2025
Venue: Zimbali Estate, Kwazulu-Natal

Distinguished Delegates,
Invited Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Morning! Happy Africa Day!

I am pleased to join you this morning as you begin with the third Development Working Group meeting. I wish to welcome all of you on behalf of the South African Government and our people to the Republic of South Africa and the beautiful Province of KwaZulu-Natal.

We meet on a significant day, as the African continent and global community celebrates Africa Day. We remember the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on this day in 1963, where 33 African governments joined hands to establish this organisation and to underscore the importance of solidarity and partnership in fostering development on the continent. Today, the African Union (AU), which evolved from the OAU, continues to advance multilateralism and solidarity on the path to achieve collective progress and prosperity on the African continent. It is therefore fitting that the South African Government commemorates Africa Day this year with the theme, Building the Africa We Want through Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability. 

We are gathered today in iLembe District Municipality, a significant region in South Africa’s culture and history. We are in the home region of Chief Albert Luthuli, the late Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and African National Congress (ANC) President. Chief Luthuli was a titan in South Africa’s anti-apartheid and civil rights movement, and influenced the path and vision of unity and democracy that not only inspired the African continent, but the entire global community. 

Therefore, as we continue to converge as the Development Working Group, the overarching theme of “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability” for our G20 Presidency which continues to guide us, carries special significance.

I am confident that all of you as delegates from the G20 Member States, invited guests and development partners will enjoy your stay and work harder during this session of the Development Working Group. 

As we gather here today, our global community is at a crossroads. On the one hand, we face extraordinary and complex challenges, from extreme poverty to unacceptable levels of inequality; geopolitical tensions, armed conflicts and insecurity to ongoing risks of climate change, extreme weather patterns and economic uncertainties.

On the other hand, we have the hope of transformative opportunities and dignity.
Notwithstanding all of these factors, our collective commitment and capacity as humanity to address and tackle these challenges and exploit the opportunities, is key.

In the words of our President, His Excellency, President Cyril Ramaphosa: “In every challenge lies the seed of opportunity. Our task is to nurture it into hope and action.”

I believe that this Working Group must be that vessel for hope and for action – a space where global ambition meets solutions to global challenges - practical delivery, and where solidarity guides our solutions. 

This is the moment for the G20 Development Working Group to reinvigorate multilateralism, strengthen development cooperation, and forge collective solutions that leave no one behind.

As we engage in meaningful discussions over the next few days, let us draw strength from the rich tapestry of our diverse experiences. Every voice in this room represents not just a nation, but a story of hope, struggle, and unwavering resolve. In facing the complexities of our global landscape, we must remember that our unity can be our greatest strength.
Your presence here is an opportunity to reaffirm the G20’s unwavering commitment to inclusive and sustainable development. 

The G20, as a body that represents around 85% of the global Gross Domestic Product, over 75% of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population, it is important we work together to transform our mutual aspirations into tangible actions that will accelerate our progress toward the attainment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Distinguished Delegates,

Over the next three days, you will continue to deliberate on the three priority areas of the Development Working Group with the aim of reaching consensus on addressing the pressing development challenges of our time and accelerate the attainment of the SDGs. 

The first priority area is on Strengthening Domestic Resource Mobilisation through curbing Illicit Financial Flows, which continue to deprive developing nations of the resources needed to invest in health, education, and infrastructure. 

The issue of Illicit Financial Flows remains a critical challenge for many countries, especially on the African Continent. According to the African Union Economic Commission for Africa’s High-Level Panel on the Illicit Financial Flows, led by former President of South Africa, His Excellency, President Thabo Mbeki, the African Continent loses an estimated $88.6 billion annually due to the Illicit Financial Flows. Evidence from sources such as Transparency International and Corruption Watch find that many cases of Illicit Financial Flows coming out of Africa end up in wealthy nations, far from where the corruption originated from.

These are resources that could build schools, hospitals, and essential public infrastructure. Therefore, South Africa strongly supports the continued engagement of the Financial Action Task Force in identifying gaps and enhancing global cooperation and urges the G20 to adopt an even more development-centred approach to financial integrity, grounded in transparency, fairness, and capacity support. 

We are encouraged that the Development Working Group’s steadfast focus on financing development, is not solely through aid, but by establishing fair global rules, strengthening institutions, and nurturing domestic and regional capacities.  

Ladies and Gentlemen,
The second priority that this Working Group has been working on relates to Advancing Social Protection Systems in order to provide dignity, resilience, and opportunity for all, particularly the poor, women, youth, and vulnerable groups. Social Protection Systems remain a cornerstone of South Africa’s fight against poverty and inequality. 

As part of our “social wage,” we continue to invest in income support, universal healthcare, education, housing, and access to basic services. The G20’s own High-Level Principles on Social Protection, adopted in 2021, affirmed the critical role of social protection in building resilience and promoting inclusive growth. 

We must now translate those principles into global best practices and measurable outcomes. It is for these reasons that we believe that the Development Working Group must continue to prioritise this issue.

The third and final priority area is on Supporting access to Global Public Goods. This is essential for, amongst others managing climate risks, promoting global health, and fostering digital inclusion. As we consider the Global Public Goods – from climate stability to pandemic preparedness and digital infrastructure, let us ensure that their governance and financing mechanisms are inclusive and just. 

South Africa has championed calls for fairer access to clean technologies, vaccines, and climate adaptation finance. These are not charity appeals – they are global imperatives, as we learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and the worsening climate shocks.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
President Ramaphosa has always reminded us and emphasised that: “No society can claim to be just and free unless all its people have access to opportunity, security, and dignity.”
This is the ethos that should be the foundation for true multilateralism, a system where the interests of the Global South are not marginal, but central to the global development agenda.

I am therefore encouraged to see the Development Working Group deepening its coordination with other G20 working groups and workstreams, including Finance, Climate Sustainability, Employment, and Anti-Corruption, to ensure policy coherence and systemic impact. These are vital linkages that reinforce the G20’s unique position as a platform that bridges development, finance, and global governance.

I wish to welcome the important contributions of partner institutions such as the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in the work of this Group. I am confident that their insights will enhance our work and contribute to the practical tools and partnerships needed to build just, inclusive, and resilient societies.

Distinguished Delegates,
As we begin our work, let us be guided by the urgency of the moment, the wisdom of our shared experience, and the promise of collaboration. 

As we embark on this important work, I want to remind us all that what we do here matters. Our negotiations over the next few days – whether on social protection floors, illicit financial flows, or global public goods – are not just about language, punctuation marks or agreed language in an outcome document. These negotiations are about the lives and livelihoods of billions of people around the world, and the kind of future we collectively wish to shape.

Let us, therefore, approach these discussions with openness, inclusiveness, urgency, collaboration and the courage to move beyond rhetoric into action. 
I wish to call upon each and every delegation today to ensure that this meeting of the Development Working Group is not just another stop on the calendar, but a springboard toward action and change.

As you begin your deliberations at the technical and senior officials’ level, I am confident that you will emerge with an agreement and consensus that we will take to the Ministerial meeting scheduled for July at the Kruger National Park.
I therefore wish you a productive and successful meeting of the G20 Development Working Group. May our deliberations here in Zimbali advance a more just, equitable, and sustainable world for all.

Ngiyabonga. Ke a leboga. Asante sana. I Thank you.

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