Original article: Rusia en el G20: Es importante formatear el trabajo del ‘Grupo de los Veinte’ teniendo en cuenta los intereses de las economías en desarrollo
The upcoming summit of the «Group of Twenty» (G20) in Johannesburg holds significant importance as it marks the end of a cycle of presidencies and effectively encapsulates nearly 20 years of collaborative efforts.
In a recent exclusive commentary for the TV BRICS media network, Svetlana Lukash, Russia’s sherpa (representative) at the G20, highlighted that it is particularly relevant for Russia and its BRICS partners that the presidency of the «Group of Twenty» has been held successively by member countries: Indonesia, India, Brazil, and South Africa over the past four years.
Lukash emphasized that this year’s summit places a special focus on a sustainable development agenda, particularly regarding the interests of the African continent. According to her, Russia fully supports all the priorities set forth by the South African presidency and is prepared to contribute extensively to the summit’s success.
The Russian sherpa also pointed out the changes in the G20’s operational framework, stating that «over the past four years, the work has not been limited to holding summits but has allowed for a complete reformatting of the ‘Group of Twenty’ in light of the interests of developing economies.»
In this context, she recalled that for many years, the G20’s agenda was largely shaped by a Western economic perspective.
«Part of this was justified, as the ‘Group of Twenty’ emerged during a crisis, and since the crisis originated in Western financial markets, it was natural to address those problems and the side effects of certain inadequate macroeconomic policies. However, over time, the imbalance in addressing the interests of both BRICS partner countries and, more broadly, Global South nations, many of which aren’t G20 members, became evident. Over the past four years, the role and voice of our friendly partners have significantly grown in this regard,» she stated.
The expert further underscored that decisions have already been made within the G20 to maintain sustainability and alleviate undue burdens on low and middle-income countries stemming from policies in Western capital markets. The Russian delegation hopes that the Johannesburg summit will adopt measures that can revitalize agreements within the framework of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
«The UN Sustainable Development Goals are the most anticipated focus for discussion at the Johannesburg summit. It is essential that in recent years, the G20 has made it clear that sustainable development goals should be considered in an interconnected manner. We cannot, for example, only discuss climate change or the need for certain efforts in that area while neglecting related interests, such as eradicating hunger and poverty,» Lukash added.
In the context of energy transition, another key topic for the summit, the Russian side supports the principle of technological neutrality and promotes the role of natural gas and peaceful nuclear energy as accessible means for transitioning to clean energy.
