Tánaiste to attend G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Harris will today attend the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, where issues of global trade and current political developments are being discussed.

Ireland is participating at the G20 as a guest country throughout 2025 as part of South Africa’s G20 Presidency. The G20, or Group of 20, is an intergovernmental forum comprising the world’s leading economies to discuss international economic and financial stability.

The G20 Foreign Ministers will meet for the first time under South Africa’s Presidency on Thursday and Friday. The Tánaiste is also expected to undertake a number of bilateral meetings with counterparts from other G20 countries while in Johannesburg.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, the Tánaiste said:

“We were honoured to take up South Africa’s invitation to participate at the G20 this year. South Africa’s Presidency of the G20 is happening at a pivotal time. As a small, open and highly networked economy, we believe Ireland has an important voice in discussions on global trade and investment as well as sustainable development.

“Not only will this mark Ireland’s first engagement at the G20, it is also the first time the G20 has been held in Africa. Our invitation to participate is a reflection of the long and proud tradition Ireland has of supporting global development, particularly as it relates to Africa. The whole of government approach we are taking to our engagement with the G20 this year indicates how seriously we value the opportunity to input to this important forum.

“Ireland is committed to an open and fair-trading system, underpinned by the multilateral, rules-based system. Free and fair trade brings economic opportunities, creates well-paid jobs, fosters innovation and builds economic resilience. This is essential for Ireland, as it is for so many other smaller states around the world.”

The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising the world’s leading economies to discuss international economic and financial stability.

The G20 comprises of 19 sovereign countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, United Kingdom, and United States), the European Union (EU), and the African Union (AU).

Founded in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis of 1997/98, the G20 works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation and sustainable development, through annual meetings of Heads of State and Heads of Government.

G20 members represent around 85% of the global Gross Domestic Product, over 75% of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

South Africa assumes the G20 Presidency from 1 December 2024 through to November 2025 under the theme ‘Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability’.