The Trade and Industry Minister on 14 September attended the G20 Trade Ministers Meeting in Mar del Plata, Argentina. The meeting was preceded by the Trade and Investment Working Group meeting, which focused on key factors for G20 policy making to support participation and upgrading in inclusive Global Value Chains (GVCs) in the agricultural sector at regional and global level. It also provided a platform for an exchange of experiences on how G20 countries can address the challenges associated with disruptive changes presented by the New Industrial Revolution, the Fourth Industrial Revolution and leverage the opportunities in order to advance inclusive growth.
According to the Minister, the G20 engagements provide South Africa with a platform to discuss, assess, and advance economic and policy issues, and for knowledge transfer on policy practices to foster the country’s development objectives. It also provides a platform for the exchange of views on the current developments in global trade.
The Minister emphasised that South Africa’s participation at the Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting was to contribute to and shape global trade and investment policy debates by providing views from a developing country standpoint.