Addressing the G20 Summit’s session, which focused on ‘inclusive and sustainable economic growth, leaving no one behind’, and on ‘building economies; the role of trade; financing for development and the debt burden’, President Erdoğan said: “We need deeper international cooperation, new political means and sustainable supply chains for the revival of global trade. I consider it to be important to strengthen the international trade rules in a way that supports development, and particularly to confirm our commitment to the World Trade Organization’s principle of special and differential treatment.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the G20 Summit’s session, which focused on ‘inclusive and sustainable economic growth, leaving no one behind’, and on ‘building economies; the role of trade; financing for development and the debt burden’ in Johannesburg, the Republic of South Africa.
“Türkiye continues to fulfill its responsibilities”
Underscoring that despite the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals’ underlying commitment of “leaving no one behind”, every one of ten people across the world still struggles against extreme poverty, President Erdoğan stated that global development assistances, which decreased by 9 per cent in 2024, are expected to see declines of up to 17 per cent, adding that this situation unfortunately signals great losses for the continent of Africa.
Noting that Türkiye continues to fulfill its responsibilities despite all kinds of negative conditions, President Erdoğan went on to say: “We increased our official development assistances, which were at about 6.8 billion dollars in 2023, to 7.4 billion in 2024. However, it is impossible to achieve the goals that have been set with these assistances. We consider it to be important to especially develop financial models for sustainable development by mobilizing local resources in the least developed countries.”
“It is important to strengthen the international trade rules”
Stressing that the challenges faced affect not only the least developed countries, but also all the economies, President Erdoğan said: “While trade was the most powerful engine of global development before the global financial crisis, the picture has drastically changed in the post-crisis period. While the world trade increased 7 per cent on average between 1987 and 2007, it fell to around 3 per cent between 2008 and 2017, and thus its contribution to the global development weakened significantly. Today, we need deeper international cooperation, new political means and sustainable supply chains for the revival of global trade. I consider it to be important to strengthen the international trade rules in a way that supports development, and particularly to confirm our commitment to the World Trade Organization’s principle of special and differential treatment.”
Also drawing attention to the United Nations’ debt report for 2025, President Erdoğan said: “We support a fair approach based on equal treatment in debt restructuring processes, especially for low-income countries. We welcome the progress made in the debt restructuring processes of Ghana and Ethiopia, which we as Türkiye contribute to within the common framework of the G20. From this fact, I call on the entire G20 to assume more responsibilities in the construction of a more inclusive economy, where no one is left behind.”
