Khaberni - Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that the Kingdom emphasizes the necessity of limiting illicit global financial flows.
The minister affirmed during his speech at the G20 summit held today, Saturday, in Johannesburg, South Africa: "Global challenges require ongoing coordination, and we continue to encourage investment in various sectors."
The issues of Ukraine and climate change occupy a central position at the summit of the Group of Twenty major economies, which kicks off on Saturday in Johannesburg in the absence of Donald Trump.
The American president is boycotting the summit, which is held in Africa for the first time, but his plan to end the war in Ukraine dominates the discussions in South Africa.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced that European leaders will meet on Saturday in Johannesburg to discuss this issue on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
Also, the climate discussions scheduled for the afternoon will be closely monitored, as it appears that the negotiations at the 30th Conference of the Parties on climate (COP30) in Brazil have reached a deadlock.
During the official last day of the global climate conference in Belém, in the Brazilian Amazon region on Friday, discussions stumbled over the issue of endorsing a potential roadmap for the gradual elimination of fossil fuels, the main contributor to warming. The European Union did not rule out the possibility of the COP30 climate conference ending without an agreement.
Joint Announcement
The G20 comprises 19 countries, in addition to the European Union and the African Union, representing 85% of the global GDP and about two-thirds of the world's population.
The Johannesburg summit carries significant symbolic implications, as it is organized for the first time in Africa and also represents the end of the cycle of G20 presidencies held by the "Global South" countries, following Indonesia (2022), India (2023), and Brazil (2024).
However, the South African government has been a target for Trump since his return to the White House.
Pretoria has included among its priorities during its presidency of the G20 this year, the establishment of an international committee dealing with economic disparity issues, similar to the United Nations climate change committee.
Also included in the summit's agenda, which continues until Sunday, are debt relief, the minerals necessary for the transition in energy, which are abundantly available on the continent, and artificial intelligence.
In this context, questions arise as to whether South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will succeed in extracting a joint statement from the attending leaders, and what the scope of his ambitions is.
Ramaphosa affirmed on Friday, "We hope to obtain a joint declaration from the leaders that sets a new and sustainable agenda for the world, especially for the G20."
The United States opposed issuing a concluding statement, pointing out its absence from a summit "whose priorities" conflict with Washington's political orientations.
A diplomatic source and another governmental source from South Africa stated that a draft of the statement had been finalized and would be sent to the participating leaders.
The sources added that the usual title of the document, "G20 Leaders' Communique," had changed, without revealing its contents.
Throughout their presidency, South Africans have presented themselves as defenders of multilateralism, which is considered one of the tools of the G20.
President of the European Council Antonio Costa declared from Johannesburg that "multilateralism is our best and perhaps only defense against disturbances, violence, and chaos. South Africa has implemented multilateralism practically."
Trump, for his part, continues his protectionist campaign and has withdrawn from several international bodies in recent months. He, in particular, withdrew the United States for the second time from the Paris Agreement on climate change and did not send any official delegation to the COP30 in Brazil.
However, it is scheduled for the United States to take over the rotational presidency of the G20 after South Africa. The Trump administration has announced its intention to focus the summit on economic cooperation issues.
