South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, on Monday called out world leaders to come together to address the numerous challenges that have struck various regions, reported The CGTN Africa.
Pandor made the appeal on Monday when she met with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Pretoria.
She pointed out that the world is currently going through an extraordinarily difficult period as many countries across the globe are forced to face the brunt of high costs for fuel, food and transport, which are basic necessities.
The South African minister said the current global economic environment, which is marked by rising inequality, conflict, unequal technological advances and environmental degradation due to climate change, has huge implications for food security and agricultural systems, especially in the African continent where the pandemic has reversed the gains that have been made under the African Union’s socio-economic development blueprint, Agenda 2063.
Notably, African countries have been hard-hit by the effect of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the rising food and oil prices caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Pandor urged world leaders to implement the undertakings made at the United Nations, the G7 and G20 to address food insecurity, global health, peace and security, and sustainable energy transition.
“Together we must identify paths to greater prosperity and human-centred development that improve local communities’ self-reliance, social justice, and participatory decision-making,” the South African minister added.
Blinken arrived in South Africa on Sunday to begin his three-nation tour of the continent. He will next head to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, which are in the middle of a conflict. His arrival in Africa follows his trip to Asia, where he visited Cambodia and the Philippines on official duty.
In a tweet, Blinken noted that he met with Pandor to strengthen the enduring ties between the two countries and advance shared priorities through the U.S.-South Africa Strategic Dialogue.
