Host Indonesia invited Sall to take part in the latest G20 meeting last month in Bali…reports Asian Lite News
US President Joe Biden will back a permanent spot for the African Union in the Group of 20 major economies, seeking to elevate the continent’s role, the White House said.
Biden will make the announcement during a three-day US-Africa Summit that opens on Tuesday in Washington, DC, where the United States will commit to the continent after inroads by China and Russia.
“It’s past time Africa has permanent seats at the table in international organisations and initiatives,” Judd Devermont, senior director for African affairs at the National Security Council, said on Friday.
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“We need more African voices in international conversations that concern the global economy, democracy and governance, climate change, health and security,” said Devermont.
About 50 African leaders are expected to join Biden for the December 13-15 series of meetings, in which the US is expected to discuss the African Union’s role with India – the G20 president for 2023.
Biden’s pledge comes after he threw his support behind the expansion of the United Nations Security Council, including representation of Africa, during a speech to the world body in September.
While few expect quick changes at the Security Council, the stance pits the US against China and especially Russia, which are seen as opposed to any move to dilute their veto power.
The Biden administration has backed the African Union’s diplomatic role on the continent and sought warm ties with the bloc’s current chair, Senegalese President Macky Sall, who is expected at the Washington summit.
Host Indonesia invited Sall to take part in the latest G20 meeting last month in Bali.
South Africa currently is the only African member of the G20, which was launched in its current form during the 2008 financial crisis to bring together the world’s top economies.
Biden met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on September 16 at the White House, as South Africa and many of its neighbours have staked out neutral ground on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
African leaders have for years expressed frustration at being left out of discussions on global affairs and crises that affect them, from the coronavirus to food security, saying they often feel like bystanders while Western countries drive most international bodies.
Those frustrations came to a head during the coronavirus pandemic, when African countries were hit particularly hard by the fallout. Despite the extensive experience of African countries in disease surveillance and protocol, they were not included in decisions on questions such as when to mask, whether to ban travel, and when to test before traveling, said Mvemba Dizolele, director and senior fellow at the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
African countries also have felt left behind in the distribution of coronavirus treatments and vaccines, often receiving them just before they expire and without sufficient storage and distribution capacity.
While the United States has donated more vaccines than any other country — and ramped up vaccine aid early this year — a far smaller share of Africans are vaccinated against the virus than in the United States, Europe and much of Asia. There are myriad reasons for that, including limited distribution capacity and vaccine skepticism, in addition to insufficient supply from countries that produce the vaccines.
Africa is also home to countries that are among those worst hit by rising temperatures, droughts and other extreme weather events fueled by climate change.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Macky Sall, president of Senegal and chair of the African Union, have pushed Biden to increase their representation in the G-20, Devermont said. “The president is following through on his commitments and is listening to our African partners,” he added.
Ramaphosa directly asked Biden to support African Union membership in the G-20 when he visited the White House in September, while Sall has also pressed Biden on the issue and has written him several times.
While the G-20 is made up mostly of individual countries, the European Union is a member, in addition to three European countries — Germany, France and Italy.
Beyond covid and climate, Biden’s move comes as African countries and other nations in the global south have borne the brunt of the economic impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Those countries have been hit hard by a global food crisis, as well as rising fertilizer and fuel prices, making it difficult for the United States to secure their support during U.N. votes that have condemned Russia for the invasion because they often blame Western sanctions for their plight.
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