JOHANNESBURG, June 25 — As the third Group of Twenty (G20) Sherpa Meeting kicked off in the North West Province on Wednesday, South Africa’s G20 Sherpa Zane Dangor said the three-day gathering offered a critical platform to explore innovative solutions to some of the world’s most overlooked challenges. “During Session One, we will reflect on the G20’s contribution to the global development agenda and to fostering equitable global governance,” Dangor said, adding that the group must recognize that “we cannot succeed unilaterally” and that “our collective challenges require strong multilateralism.” Dangor said some of the key issues to be tackled at the meeting would include the current pressing geopolitical matters. “As agreed during the first Sherpas meeting, under South Africa’s presidency, there is a specific working method for managing geopolitical issues,” Dangor said. He added that the G20 “recognized” the ongoing global conflicts as having a detrimental impact on the world’s economic development and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Dangor also noted that the meeting would finalize the presidency’s proposed way forward, especially concerning the participation of engagement groups and the upcoming Social Summit. It would also outline the G20 Johannesburg Leaders’ Declaration. “As Sherpas, our responsibility is critical in shaping this declaration to meaningfully accelerate the achievement of the SDGs and address common global challenges. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is at a crucial juncture, and the G20’s collective influence and resources are more vital than ever to get back on track,” he said. He said that progress had been made in the G20’s overall work, with 70 of the 132 planned meetings successfully concluded. Many of these meetings, he said, had already entered the crucial phase of negotiating ministerial declarations for 2025.
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