Mr. President,
Italy aligns itself with the Statement delivered by the European Union on behalf of its Member States and would like to add some additional remarks in its national capacity.
I thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this meeting and H.E. Zane Dangor for his briefing on South Africa’s G20 priorities. This discussion helps coordinate efforts to address global challenges inclusively.
We commend South Africa for placing Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability at the core of its G20 Presidency—principles Italy fully supports.
Today, now more than ever, we must reaffirm our commitment to multilateralism and the rule-based order. Our collective response must prioritize peace, stability, and solidarity with those affected by war and instability.
Addressing inequalities and sustainability is imperative. These priorities were central to Italy’s G7 Presidency, and we welcome the continued momentum under South Africa’s leadership to foster inclusive growth, combat climate change, enhance food security, and leverage artificial intelligence for development.
The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), the World Social Summit, and COP30 offer key opportunities to revitalize multilateral cooperation, building on the Pact for the Future. FFD4, in particular, is a pivotal moment to reshape global financial mechanisms to effectively finance sustainable development by 2030.
To achieve this, we also require a consensual approach on an international financial architecture that mobilizes resources to accelerate progress toward the SDGs. In this regard we also fully support the priority placed by the G20 Presidency on scaling up domestic resource mobilization and tackling illicit financial flows that undermine development efforts.
Italy is committed to this process. Through its plan for Africa, Italy is, among other things expanding our contributions to public-private partnerships, to drive investment and innovation, with the first projects already ongoing on the coffee-value chain, all of them with the full ownership of our African partners.
Italy is also honored to contribute to significant international initiatives in the coming months, that can contribute to the outcomes of G20 meeting in 2025. Together with Ethiopia, we will convene the UN Food Systems Summit +4 in Addis Ababa to accelerate action toward resilient food systems. Italy is also pleased to co-host in New York, with UNDESA and IDLO, the SDG16 Conference in May, focusing on rule of law, justice, and strong institutions.
We look forward to working closely with South Africa to ensure a successful and impactful G20 Presidency.
I thank you.
