Deputy Foreign Minister Participates in G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

CAIRO – 21 February 2025: Deputy Foreign Minister of Egypt Ambassador Abu Bakr Hefny Mahmoud participated in the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on behalf of Badr Abdelatty, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Emigration, and Egyptians Abroad. 

On the morning of February 21st, during the second and final day of the meeting, Ambassador Mahmoud delivered Egypt's speech at the plenary session, which focused on the G20 priorities for 2025.

The Deputy Foreign Minister reaffirmed Egypt's support for the priorities outlined under South Africa’s presidency of the G20, emphasizing that these priorities reflect the interests of developing countries, particularly Africa's development agenda for 2063. 

He expressed Egypt’s commitment to cooperating on the implementation of these priorities, which aim to accelerate the achievement of the sustainable development agenda. Key areas of focus include enhancing access to financing for developing countries, implementing debt swaps for climate change mitigation, leveraging modern technologies like artificial intelligence, and boosting water and food security.

Ambassador Mahmoud also addressed the global challenges currently facing the world, notably the rise of unilateral and protectionist policies. He stressed the importance of international solidarity and cooperation to overcome these challenges.

Additionally, the Deputy Foreign Minister highlighted the role the G20 can play in addressing imbalances in the global financial system, particularly by improving access to concessional financing. He underlined the need to avoid forcing developing countries into a position where they must choose between two critical goals: combating climate change and achieving sustainable development.

He also pointed out the G20's potential role in ensuring that international financial institutions and multilateral development banks operate fairly and provide appropriate solutions to meet the needs of developing countries. Ambassador Mahmoud emphasized the importance of managing the debt burden in a way that ensures macroeconomic stability for low- and middle-income countries, helping them avoid a new global debt crisis.

It is important to note that Egypt’s participation in the G20 meetings this year is in response to an invitation from South Africa, the current president of the G20. Egypt will be participating as a guest country in various G20 events throughout the meetings until the conclusion of South Africa's presidency in November 2025.