Senior Minister of State Sim Ann joined global leaders in Skukuza to advance sustainable development and international cooperation.
Singapore’s Senior Minister of State (SMS) for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs, Sim Ann, visited Skukuza, South Africa, from 24 to 25 July to attend the G20 Development Ministers’ Meeting (DMM).
At the meeting, Ministers reaffirmed the role of the G20 as a platform to galvanise the international community’s support for developing countries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. They also addressed measures to tackle Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) and highlighted the importance of accelerating the adoption of Social Protection Floors.
In her interventions, SMS Sim underscored the significance of robust social protection floors to countries’ long-term growth and stability, alongside workforce development, tripartite cooperation and improved governance. On IFFs, she stressed the need for disciplined and sustainable public financing, while calling for deeper multilateral cooperation to tackle emerging global challenges such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and transnational crime.
On the sidelines of the DMM, SMS Sim met Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of South Africa Maropene Ramokgopa, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation of Egypt Dr Rania Al Mashat, Minister of International Development of Norway Åsmund Aukrust, Minister of State for International Development and the Diaspora of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland Neale Richmond, and Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Development Affairs and International Organisations of the United Arab Emirates Sultan Mohd Al Shamsi.
During her meeting with South African Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Maropene Ramokgopa, SMS Sim conveyed Singapore’s appreciation to South Africa for its leadership and the invitation to participate in the G20 meetings.
