The leaders of the world’s most developed economies meet in Argentina’s capital this weekend for the latest iteration of the G20 head of state summit where concerns around global trade and the presence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman are sure to dominate the headlines.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will lead a South African delegation amidst growing concerns about how a looming trade war between the United States and China will affect smaller developing countries.
UN Secretary General António Guterres, who will also be in Buenos Aires, is calling for global leadership to be stepped up on all fronts.
He’s calling for more ambition as he heads to Argentina for the G20 and then on to Poland for the UN’s annual Climate Change meeting. Arguing that strong economic growth, reduced inequality and limiting carbon emissions are all possible and compatible despite consensus being difficult to find.
Guterres says, “These meetings come at a crucial moment. Our world is obviously facing a crisis of confidence. Those left behind by globalization are losing trust in governments and institutions. Inequality is pervasive and increasing, especially within nations. Trade disputes are escalating. And an undercurrent of geopolitical tensions is adding further pressure to the global economy. It is imperative that we address the root causes and work together to promote a fair globalization.”
Guterres said he was particularly concerned about the impact of looming trade wars – with the world’s two largest economies the United States and China on the precipice of a potentially devastating economic battle.
“It is clear that we will not be able to reach the agenda 2030 objectives without important economic growth, equitable growth, inclusive growth but economic growth. And its clear that trade wars undermine global economic growth so my message is simply that we need increased dialogue to make sure that we avoid a situation in which trade wars would become an impediment for global economic growth that is necessary to achieve the SDGs and to provide people with access to the benefits of progress,” he added.
The controversial Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia is also due to attend the G20 meeting in the wake of the devastating war that his country is engaged in Yemen and in aftermath of global outrage at the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October at the hands of Saudi operatives.
Guterres says, “I think we are close to create the conditions for the possibility for peace talks to start and that would be an extremely important objective and of course Saudi Arabia is absolutely crucial for that purpose and I’m ready to discuss it with the Crown Prince or with any other Saudi officials because I believe it is a very important objective at the present moment. If we are able to stop the Yemeni war, we will be stopping the most tragic humanitarian disaster we are facing in today’s world.”
Amidst troubling trends that ambition is lacking in the global response to tackling climate change, he has strongly urged countries to fully assume and implement the commitments they made in the Paris Climate Change Agreement in 2015.
