2023-09-08 08:48:30
According to EU Council President Charles Michel, the African Union is about to join the G20 group of important industrialized and emerging countries. There is consensus on allowing the African Union to join the G20, the Belgian said on Friday before the start of this year’s G20 summit in New Delhi. This is a “good signal”. He looks forward to welcoming the AU as a permanent member.
To date, the European Union with its 27 member states is the only regional organization that is a member of the G20. The AU includes all internationally recognized African countries as well as the controversial country of Western Sahara under international law. There are 55 states in total.
The AU represents the interests of around 1.3 billion people and has the youngest and fastest growing population in the world. It is estimated that Africa could have a population of 2.5 billion by 2050. In comparison, only around 450 million people live in the EU.
According to diplomats, it was still unclear when the African Union would officially become a member. It would be possible to take part in the first regular summit at the next summit in Brazil or at the 2025 summit in South Africa.
Michel was skeptical about the chances of a joint final declaration of the summit. One reason is that it appears to be more difficult for some states this year to agree to a clear condemnation of Russia for the war of aggression against Ukraine. Michel cited the fight against climate change, plans to reform the international financial architecture and support for developing countries as further examples of contentious issues. “All of these issues are difficult issues with different perspectives, different sensibilities and different focuses,” he said.
In addition to the EU, the G20 group includes 19 of the world’s strongest economies. It is a central forum for international economic cooperation, but now also deals with many other global issues, from the fight against terrorism to climate protection and war. Against the backdrop of the Ukraine war, it is one of the few remaining forums where the West and Russia meet directly.
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