Since its inception, the G-20 has consistently maintained its status as the paramount platform for dialogue between the "Global North" and the "Global South." Its summits have garnered intense international media attention. However, the landscape has evolved significantly since the global financial crisis of 2008. Notably, China and Russia, alongside the United States, the founding member, have solidified their positions as global powerhouses. This shift has introduced challenges that, at times, have tested the unity of G-20 member countries in terms of shared language, common objectives and a shared vision for the future.

Another prominent issue has been the escalating demands from India, Indonesia, Brazil and South Africa, representing the indisputable voices of the G-20's Global South contingent, to bolster their influence within the group. A significant stride in this direction was the inclusion of the African Union (AU), encompassing 55 member nations, as a permanent member of the G-20, with equal status to that of the European Union (EU), during the most recent G-20 Summit hosted by India.

G-20 Plus AU

The inclusion of Africa, the rising continent of the 21st century, in the G-20 – or perhaps it could be aptly referred to as "G-21" to underscore its significance (as "G20+" might inadvertently imply unequal status compared to the EU) – is a pivotal development that will further fortify this platform as a crucial arena for Global North-Global South dialogue. Moussa Faki Mahamat, president and spokesperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), emphasizes on the meaningful role that G-20 membership will play in safeguarding the continent's rights and laws while addressing global challenges.

As a matter of fact, the chosen theme of "One Earth, One Family, One Future" by India, the current summit's term president, carries profound significance. It resonates not only with the pressing issues of climate change but also with the myriad regional and global political and economic uncertainties that threaten the global community. This theme serves as a poignant reminder of universal values that can guide nations confronting profound challenges such as poverty, hunger, and widespread migration on a global scale.

"We have only one world; we are part of the same human family, and we must unite in our efforts to ensure its habitability and strive together for a more sustainable future." This message holds profound significance.

Türkiye, leveraging its humanitarian-entrepreneurial diplomatic achievements and adept utilization of soft power, a cornerstone of global diplomacy, stands out as a strategic partner of the African Union (AU). The country has played a pivotal role in securing unanimous acceptance of the comprehensive 83-paragraph Leaders' Summit Declaration within the G-20 platform, thanks to its unwavering, sincere, and compelling stance.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's contacts with world leaders on the G-20 platform were important meetings in which cooperation between Türkiye and G-20 countries on projects to be carried out in five continents in the coming period and common goals on the future were discussed.

South-South cooperation

The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, which was brought to the agenda at the G-20 Summit and will be led by the U.S., together with India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), France, Germany, Italy and the EU, was naturally discussed about a lot. We are talking about a game changer and an important infrastructure move for the sea, railway and road network that will connect the two continents. This new project will undoubtedly compete with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project, which is carried out under the initiative of China.

Having said that, realizing the projects, expansions, and initiatives brought to the agenda, which aim to strengthen cooperation among G-20 countries and, to a certain extent, between "South-South" countries, requires determined and facilitator countries. Türkiye comes first among these countries. Türkiye has been virtually rebuilding its infrastructure and superstructure for 20 years under the leadership of President Erdoğan by analyzing and observing the inevitable supply, logistics and transportation collaborations between the Global North and the Global South since the early 2000s.

It has undertaken and continues to undertake mega infrastructure projects on a global scale. With its railway and road tunnel projects, bridge projects, airports, deep-sea container ports, redesigned highways, railways and maritime networks connecting the continents, it has undertaken works that are followed with envy all over the world for the global trade and supply networks and corridors of the 21st Century.

There cannot be a more natural process than a "corridor competition" between Asia, Europe and Africa, which is led by some countries, for the global trade in goods that will reach $30 trillion or 21 trillion metric tons in 2030 for such a giant goods transportation and logistics initiative. However, if some dominant countries think that they can carry out this transportation and logistics to a large extent only through the initiatives, enterprises, or corridors they prioritize, they are seriously mistaken.

Because the magnitudes that global goods trade will reach today and in the future essentially require "cooperation" across geographies and corridors beyond corridor competition. Based on this fundamental truth, President Erdoğan said that Türkiye – as a country that connects three continents, Asia-Europe-Africa, with mega projects – is an indispensable partner of the global economy and trade corridors, and reminded global actors that an efficient and effective corridor would not be possible without Türkiye. We will continue monitoring Türkiye's active contribution to the Global South-Global North dialogue and the South-South Cooperation.