President Jacob Zuma has arrived in St Petersburg, Russian Federation for the G20 Leaders’ Summit happening on 5 to 6 September 2013.

He will also attend a meeting of BRICS Leaders, which will give the leaders an opportunity to reflect on the progress made with regards to the implementation of the eThekwini Declaration, notably receiving progress reports in respect of the New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement.

President Zuma is accompanied by the Minister of Finance, Mr Pravin Gordhan, and the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane. The primary objectives of the G20 are to facilitate policy coordination in order to achieve global economic stability and promote long-term sustainable growth.

South Africa’s participation in the G20 is guided by our national interests and the primacy of the African Agenda. South Africa therefore seeks to use its participation in multilateral fora such as the G20 to promote and strengthen the interests of the African continent and those of the Southern hemisphere. In this regard, the G20 presents meaningful opportunities for advancing much-needed global governance reforms and orienting the international development agenda.

G20 countries account for 85 percent of global economic output, 80 percent of global trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population. It is envisaged that the G20 Summit will focus on a set of measures aimed at boosting sustainable, inclusive and balanced global growth, including the creation of decent jobs.

During its tenure as G20 President, Russia has focused its work on the interconnected issues on the G20 agenda around three priorities, which are intended to promote:

growth through quality jobs and investment

growth through trust and transparency and

growth through effective regulation.

Enquiries:

Mac Maharaj

Cell: 079 879 3203