Egypt hosts for the first time the Group of Twenty (G20) meeting in Cairo

Egypt hosts for the first time the G20 meeting (G20)in Cairo

Today, humanity faces a fundamental question: How can the international system reformulate its priorities in a way that ensures the survival of humans and the environment together? This question arises because the challenges cross regions and continents and transcend borders, from the climate crisis to the crises of food, energy, and supply chains. These are the challenges faced by global meetings, such as the G20 meeting.

Based on Egypt’s pioneering role, the activities of the 2025 G20 meeting began in Cairo, which is the first time – historically – that this meeting has been held outside the scope of member states. This reflects a growing awareness of Egypt’s role in the international system and its ability to be a bridge between advanced economies and the economies of developing countries.

Therefore,The Earth Guards Foundationwill address the activities of this international event through an in-depth reading of its various dimensions, whether related to Egypt’s regional and international standing or to the food security file, which tops the agenda of this year’s meeting, as well as its repercussions on the path of global sustainability. So keep reading.

Food security in the G20

The meeting, held in coordination with the South African presidency of the group, will focus – until the end of the events on September 3 – on the issue of food security as it is one of the most pressing issues in the 2030 sustainable development agenda. Because climate change, conflicts, disruption of supply chains – and other global issues – have made food a strategic issue that affects economic growth and social stability.

The most prominent challenges presented

• Climate change and its impact on agricultural production.
• Armed conflicts and disruption of the flow of supplies.
• The rise in world prices and the crises it causes in developing countries.
• Fragility of food systems in Africa.

It is expected that the Cairo discussions will be a basic platform for drafting the ministerial statement on global food security, which is the statement that is scheduled to be adopted at a subsequent ministerial meeting in South Africa before it is transformed into an official document to be presented at the Johannesburg Summit next November at the end of the year.

This context makes hosting Egypt an opportunity that goes beyond symbolism. Because this hosting places it at the heart of strategic negotiations directly linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially the second goal, “Zero Hunger,” and the seventeenth goal, “establishing partnerships to achieve the goals.”

Major Economies Forum and its Dimensions

It is worth noting that the G20 was established in the late last century in direct response to the financial crises that shook Asia and the world, to be a platform that brings together the largest advanced and emerging economies. Although the beginning of these meetings – the G20 meetings – were limited to finance ministers and central bank governors, their rise to the level of presidential summits after the 2008 crisis made them “the first forum for international economic cooperation.”

Although the group is not a legally binding organization, its weight comes from the size of its members, who represent more than 80% of global production and 75% of international trade, in addition to the fact that they include two-thirds of the planet’s population.

As for the group’s mechanism of action, it is based on two basic paths: They are:

• The financing path led by finance ministers and central banks.
• Sherpa Track (Sherpa Track), which is followed by personal envoys of state leaders.

From these two tracks, specialized working groups emerge that focus on specific issues, such as climate, energy, health, and sustainable development. The group also provides platforms for the participation of civil society, the private sector, and academics. Which makes it a comprehensive space for interaction between multiple levels of international actors.

Despite this broad influence, the G20 faces criticism regarding its ability to represent the interests of developing countries. Because the agenda is often dominated by the priorities of the major economic powers, which highlights the importance of Cairo hosting an official meeting that focuses on an issue that affects all peoples, especially the most fragile ones, which is the issue of food security.

Egypt and food security: a growing regional role

Choosing the topic of food security to be the focus of the Cairo meeting is not a coincidence, but rather a reflection of the magnitude of the challenges the world faces in this field. The successive crises that the world has witnessed have deepened the fragility of global food systems. According to United Nations reports, more than 700 million people around the world face food insecurity, at a time when pressure on natural resources is increasing.

Egypt – by virtue of its geographical location and population weight – is more aware of the magnitude of these challenges than others, as it is one of the largest wheat importing countries in the world, and at the same time it seeks to strengthen its agricultural capabilities to achieve internal food security.

Hosting the meeting also gives it the opportunity to highlight its experience in managing the food file at the national and regional levels, especially with regard to agricultural expansion programs, water rationalization, and developing the infrastructure of food supply chains

Egypt’s steps in supporting food security

• Enhancing its agricultural capabilities and achieving internal food security
• Expansion of water rationalization programs and optimal use of resources.
• Developing infrastructure and food supply chains.
• Defending the priorities of the African continent in international forums.

On the other hand, the meeting constitutes a platform for Egypt to confirm its international commitments towards the African continent, which is the most affected by food insecurity. Cairo has long adopted a discourse calling for empowering Africa with greater resources, whether through international financing or by strengthening the continent’s capabilities to confront the effects of climate change.

Cairo’s message to the world

The G20 meeting in Cairo cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader dimensions of sustainability, as food security is not just an issue of production or distribution, but rather part of a complex equation in which environmental, economic and social factors intersect.

Hence, the meeting opens the door to new approaches that combine economic growth, social justice and environmental protection, which is the trilogy on which the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are based

What about Global South issues?

The meeting also reflects a growing awareness that issues of the Global South can no longer be ignored. Confronting food insecurity requires global solutions that go beyond narrow national policies. This requires concerted international efforts and the adoption of fairer and more transparent financing mechanisms.

In light of the challenges facing the planet from accelerating climate change and the deterioration of natural resources, any discussion about food security remains incomplete unless it is linked to sustainability, and here lies the true value of the Cairo meeting, as it links food security to the future of humanity and the sustainability of its resources, and to a collective commitment to achieving the 2030 agenda and beyond

Cairo is a capital of dialogue and sustainability

From the above, it is clear to us how Egypt hosted an official meeting of the G20 for the first time in the history of the forum; It represents a defining moment in global diplomacy, as it not only highlights Cairo’s regional and international weight, but also reflects a shift in the way the group deals with issues of the Global South.

By focusing on food security, the meeting opens the door to fundamental discussions linking food, development and sustainability, and confirms that the future of the world depends on the ability of all countries to work together in a spirit of partnership and solidarity.

In the end,Earth Defenders Foundation – with its awareness-raising offering – finds in Egypt’s hosting of the G20 meeting an opportunity to highlight the extent of the danger facing our world today, especially with regard to food security, which can only be achieved through international cooperation and commitment to development goals. Sustainable.