Your Excellencies,    
Heads of States and Government of the G20 Members and Invited Countries,
Heads of International Organisations, 
Foreign Ministers in attendance,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to Session Two of today's programme, which focuses on the role of the G20 in building a more resilient world

As a global community, we are faced by several formidable and related issues: poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, inequality, environmental degradation and climate change.

The complexity of these challenges calls for enhanced reforms and collective action.

Resilience is not merely about recovery after a disaster or crisis.

It is about foresight and shared responsibility for sustainable development.

A resilient world can only be achieved through inclusive economic growth, strengthening global partnerships and reforming international institutions.

It means we must prepared.

We must, as a matter of urgency, integrate disaster risk reduction into macroeconomic policies, climate financing and sustainable infrastructure development.

We must ensure that vulnerable countries and communities have equitable access to technologies, finance and the capacity to anticipate and withstand future shocks.

As we look ahead, South Africa believes our collective efforts should focus on three imperatives:

First, we must strengthen global early warning systems.

For many countries, this means scaling up investment in data, technology and capacity to reach the most vulnerable communities.

Second, we must mobilise innovative financing for resilience.

The G20 should champion accessible, predictable and equitable disaster risk financing instruments. We need to pool risk, mobilise anticipatory funding and forge public-private partnerships.

Third, we must mainstream disaster risk reduction into all sectors of economic planning, from energy and infrastructure to agriculture and urban development.

Sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth requires that we take measures to address the severe imbalance in vulnerability to the increasing effects of climate change.

Those countries most affected by severe weather events are often those that bear the least responsibility for climate change.

This threatens to further deepen inequality between and within countries.

Developing economies need resources and technical partnerships for effective adaptation and resilience.

We need to make good on our commitments to fund loss and damage caused by climate change.

As 2025 marks the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, we recognise its historic contribution to fostering universal climate action.

And yet global temperatures continue to climb.

We have no choice but to fully and effectively implement the Paris Agreement and its temperature goal.

In doing so, we must hold fast to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.

Just transition pathways are key enablers for climate action.

These should encompass a whole of economy and whole of society approach.

Just transitions must support efforts to eradicate poverty and promote human rights, workers' rights and gender equality. They must foster meaningful social and economic opportunities.

In the face of persistent hunger and escalating climate pressures, we face a sobering reality: according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, as many as 720 million people are experiencing hunger worldwide.

Excessive food price volatility continues to undermine purchasing power, especially for low-income communities.

We applaud the G20 for continuously keeping food security at the centre of its developmental agenda.

South Africa made food security one of the priorities of our G20 Presidency, building on the excellent work of previous presidencies, including the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty established under the Brazilian Presidency.

Platforms such as the Agriculture Working Group, Meeting of Agricultural Chief Scientists and the Food Security Task Force have delivered outcomes that underscore the importance of building inclusive, diverse, resilient and sustainable food systems.

Since it was formed, at a time of crisis, the G20 and the world has had to confront several crises.

Unless we act now to build resilience and sustainability, the crises we face tomorrow will be more devastating, more damaging and more lasting.

I thank you.