CAPE TOWN, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) — The 11th Group of 20 (G20) Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit opened on Wednesday in South Africa’s Western Cape Province, placing parliamentary diplomacy at the center of discussions.

The three-day gathering in the coastal town of Kleinmond, about 100 km east of Cape Town, marks the first time the summit is being held on the African continent.

Held under the theme “Harnessing Parliamentary Diplomacy for the Realization of Global Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability,” the summit brings together speakers of parliament from G20 member states and invited countries.

Opening the meeting, South Africa’s National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza said the theme underscored the need for collaborative leadership to confront global challenges.

“We meet at a time when the global landscape is being reshaped by intersecting crises and opportunities. The world continues to grapple with the aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising geopolitical tensions, armed conflicts, and the accelerating pace of climate change and technological advancements,” she said.

She highlighted priority areas for the summit, including disaster resilience, financing a just energy transition, ensuring debt sustainability for low-income countries, harnessing critical minerals for inclusive growth, and empowering women and youth.

“These are areas which we believe are relevant for the aspirations of the African continent, but also for all the member states of the G20. They reflect the interconnectedness of our challenges and the need for shared solutions that are responsive to our diverse national context and differentiated realities,” Didiza noted.

Inter-Parliamentary Union Vice President Gabriela Morawska-Stanecka stressed the role of parliaments in tackling cross-border crises. “We are gathered at a critical moment in our shared history. A moment when crises are multiplying and intertwining: climate change, persistent conflicts, growing inequalities, technological upheavals,” she said.

She emphasized that parliamentary diplomacy must drive solidarity, equality, and sustainability. “Solidarity is not a slogan. It is a moral and political obligation,” she said. “For there can be no lasting peace without social justice.”

Speaking on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi described the summit as “a call to action” for G20 parliaments to advance solidarity, equality, and sustainability.

“We are contending with rising inequalities within and between societies, and between the Global North and Global South. Rising populism, xenophobia, and extreme forms of nationalism threaten to undermine solidarity,” Kubayi said. “It is therefore incumbent upon us as parliaments to bring our institutions closer to the people, to restore trust, and to make all citizens part of the effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”