Welcome
Minister of State Katja Keul prior to her trip to South Africa for the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting
Minister of State Katja Keul issued the following statement today prior to her trip to South Africa for the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting:
With South Africa, an African country is assuming the G20 Presidency for the first time. South Africa is focusing its Presidency on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals. Germany supports the South African Presidency and its ambitious agenda – particularly at a time when wars and conflicts are causing great suffering and destruction in the world.
In the coming days we will mark the third anniversary of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. In the Middle East we must continue to strive to bring about a lasting peace and a two-state solution. The war in the Sudan has unleashed the greatest humanitarian crisis and the greatest displacement crisis the world has ever seen – largely unnoticed by the public here in Europe.
We condemn in the strongest terms Rwanda’s advances with the M23 rebel group in eastern Congo, in violation of international law. The humanitarian situation is already disastrous and the risk of a regional war is growing. This must have consequences.
In this extremely tense international situation we must continue to cooperate with partners in striving for solutions. Against this backdrop, Germany is working to ensure that the G20 countries embrace their responsibility and bolster international law and its institutions, including the International Criminal Court.
Background information:
The Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, Katja Keul, is visiting Johannesburg in the Republic of South Africa from 20 to 21 February.
On 1 December 2024, South Africa took over the G20 Presidency from Brazil for one year. Under the motto “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability”, South Africa is placing the focus of its G20 Presidency on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals.
The G20 brings together industrialised nations and emerging economies that account for more than 80% of global GDP, some three-quarters of global trade and around two-thirds of the world’s population. Alongside the 19 largest industrialised nations and emerging economies, the EU and, since 2024, the African Union also have a seat at the table.
At the meeting in Johannesburg on 20 and 21 February, the geopolitical situation will also be on the agenda. Germany supports South Africa’s G20 Presidency and its goals for strengthening disaster prevention and management, ensuring that the debts of low-income countries are sustainable, mobilising capital for a fair energy transition and using critical raw materials to promote inclusive and sustainable growth.