Tánaiste welcomes invitation for Ireland to participate in G20

The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin TD, has welcomed the invitation from South Africa for Ireland to participate as a guest country in G20 meetings 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.

Ireland has been invited to attend G20 meetings, including next November’s Summit of Leaders, as a guest country during South Africa’s Presidency. The Tánaiste intends to discuss the matter with Government colleagues at their scheduled meeting next week and propose that Ireland accept the invitation and attend Ministerial and official-level engagements throughout 2025.

The Tánaiste said: “I am very pleased that South Africa has invited Ireland to participate in the G20 throughout its Presidency. The G20 is an important global forum that brings together the world’s leading economies to discuss and agree approaches to global challenges.

“Working with international partners is at the heart of Ireland’s foreign policy. We are supportive of the G20’s work through our engagement at EU level. The invitation to directly participate in G20 meetings will be a significant opportunity for Ireland to bring its voice to this important global forum.

“The theme of South Africa’s Presidency is ‘Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability’, with a central focus on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. This invitation is reflective of Ireland’s reputation globally as a country that proactively engages with partners around the world to find solutions that align with these core values. It is also reflective of the leadership role Ireland played in the establishment of the SDGs and of our long-standing partnership with South Africa on a range of issues.”

ENDS

Press Office

05 December 2024

Notes for Editor:

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).
The country holding the Presidency of the G20 invites a small number of guest countries to participate throughout their Presidency. The current Presidency is held by Brazil and saw eight countries participate as guests.
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’.