United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed concern over South Africa’s exclusion from full and permanent participation in certain G20 processes, saying the situation “doesn’t make sense.”
Speaking to the media at UN Headquarters in New York, Guterres stressed that global challenges cannot be addressed by a single dominant power and require inclusive, multilateral cooperation.
His remarks follow questions about South Africa’s reported exclusion from some G20 engagements by the United States this year.
Guterres, who attended the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg last November, praised the country’s leadership during its presidency of the bloc and said it played a constructive role in advancing the group’s agenda.
“I was present in the G20 session in South Africa and I was fully supportive of the agenda introduced by the South African Presidency,” he said. “South Africa played a very positive role in the way it presided at the G20. It doesn’t make any sense for me that South Africa is not permanently a full member of the G20 in all circumstances.”
The UN chief reiterated that complex global issues from economic instability to climate change require broad representation and collaboration, rather than decisions driven by a single power.
His comments are likely to add weight to calls for more equitable participation of developing nations in major global governance forums.