SG invited to G20 Meetings & Summit 2024 in Brazil

SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Finance said in a joint statement on Saturday (Dec 2) that Singapore has been invited to participate in the G20 meetings and summit in Brazil next year, from Nov 18 to 19, 2024.

The Group of Twenty (G20) is an intergovernmental forum aimed at economic cooperation. It comprises 19 sovereign countries, the European Union (EU), and the African Union (AU). It addresses important global issues related to the economy, such as climate change, sustainable development, and financial stability. Brazil took over the presidency of G20 on Dec 1, after India ended its one-year term.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong attended the G20 summit earlier this year. While in New Delhi from Sept 9 to 10, he joined fellow leaders at the launch of the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA), an initiative to tackle climate change.

“Singapore appreciates the invitation from Brazil, which reflects our excellent relations and close cooperation at multilateral fora. We enjoy deepening collaboration in areas such as trade and investment, innovation, education, climate change, and sustainability,” the joint statement reads.

Singapore is not a member of G20 but has been invited to the group’s meetings and summit for over a decade. The statement added that the country will keep on actively contributing to the G20 process, “both in our national capacity and as Convenor of the Global Governance Group (3G).”

“We look forward to work constructively with the Brazilian Presidency and other G20 members and guests to realise Brazil’s priorities of building a just world and a sustainable planet. These include issues such as promoting social inclusion and fighting hunger, managing energy transition and sustainable development, and reforming global governance,” the joint statement added.

In New Delhi, PM Lee spoke during the Sept 9 session of the summit, titled “One Earth.” He characterised climate change as an existential issue and underlined how Singapore can be vulnerable to it, given the lack of options for alternative energies. He also said that countries cannot deal with climate change independently and that tackling the issue needs collective effort.

The Prime Minister said that one thing the G20 can do is provide leadership to foster international collaboration and that new technologies, new financing models, and new markets may bring hope in addressing the problems of climate change.

PM Lee also shared a photo of himself with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over social media. “I congratulate PM Modi on a successful Summit, and look forward to deepening our bilateral relations and cooperation,” he wrote. /TISG