"I will be very happy to see the African Union as a member of G20," he told the press on the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on Thursday.
Despite a solid partnership within the union, Africa faces a serious problem of a lack of representation in today's international institutions, he emphasized.
"Most of the African countries are still under colonial regimes, and so, Africa was a double victim of colonialism... that is why I strongly support the presence of an African country (in an international institution) at least as a permanent member of the UN Security Council," he remarked.
Guterres welcomed India's efforts to continue pushing for the African Union to join the G20.
India is making efforts to help the African Union join the G20, with the hope of making it a legacy of its presidency of the grouping this year.
"India is seeking for the African Union to join as a member of the G20 during our presidency," said Amitabh Kant, India's G20 Sherpa, at a press briefing in New Delhi in August.
The Indian government believes that the induction of the African Union as a member of the G20 can further encourage discussions and efforts to address the problems of the Global South countries.
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The Global South is a term used to refer to developing and less developed countries or low-income economies.
As the term suggests, the Global South includes countries whose economies are not yet fully developed and are facing challenges such as low per capita income, high unemployment, and a lack of valuable capital, such as technology.
"Global South" broadly refers to the regions of Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.
One of the measures taken by India to encourage the African Union to join the G20 is the establishment of a business sector task force, namely the B20 India Action Council for African economic integration.
Several efforts will be made by India to support African economic integration, including strengthening human capital in health, education, and skills, as well as revitalizing agriculture and food systems for sustainable productivity, food security, and nutrition.
Additionally, India will aid in trade facilitation to unlock the potential of integration into regional and global value chains, while also working to bridge physical and digital connectivity gaps through strategic investments in infrastructure.
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Reporter: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Editor: Anton Santoso
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