ON MY MIND: Merkel’s tough G20 balancing act
The leaders’ summit is an opportunity to forge co-operation on international issues — but success will require particular skill from the German leader, given the global context and personalities involved
The 12th summit of the G20 taking place in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7-8 represents the culmination of that country’s presidency of the international forum this year. As expected, the German government has run an effective presidency, giving substance to the guiding theme, “Shaping an Interconnected World”, and building consensus around the leading topics of “building resilience”, “improving sustainability” and “assuming responsibility”. SA is currently the only African state in the G20, but there has been significant focus on the continent during the German G20 presidency, with two specific, interconnected initiatives emerging on Africa. One is the Compact with Africa (CwA); the other is the Marshall Plan for Africa. The first is an initiative of the German finance ministry, which chairs the finance track of the G20 this year, while the second, crafted within the German development ministry, is intended as a bilateral initiative between Germany and Africa. Côte d’Ivoire, Morocco, R...
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