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US President Joe Biden is set to extend his support for the African Union to be part of the G20 countries. The endorsement comes as Biden is looking to elevate the regional grouping’s role.
The White House said Friday last week that Biden is set to throw his support behind the African Union to a permanent spot in the group of 20 major economies in the world. The US leader will announce his support on Tuesday during the three-day US-Africa Summit in Washington, DC. The United States will commit to the region amidst the growing influence of China and Russia.
“It’s past time Africa has permanent seats at the table in international organizations and initiatives,” said National Security Council senior director for African affairs Judd Devermont. “We need more African voices in international conversations that concern the global economy, democracy and governance, climate change, health, and security.”
Around 50 African leaders will be attending the summit that will take place from December 13 to 15. During the conference, Washington is expected to discuss the African Union’s role with India, which is the president of the G20 for 2023.
The US leader’s pledge to support the African Union to become a permanent G20 member follows the support given to the expansion of the United Nations National Security Council, including the representation of Africa during his address to the UN back in September. The Biden administration has long supported the African Union’s diplomatic role in the continent and sought to reaffirm ties with the regional grouping’s current chair, Senegalese President Macky Sall, who is expected to be attending the summit.
South Africa is currently the only African member of the G20 countries.
Also last week, the Democratic-led House Oversight Committee accused major oil companies of spreading “disinformation” and “lying” about their climate change mitigation efforts following the panel’s release of internal industry reports from major oil companies. The committee said the reports showed that the oil companies were not acting on their pledges to cut down on emissions and instead were engaging in “greenwashing.”
“Today’s new evidence makes clear that these companies know their climate pledges are inadequate but are prioritizing Big Oil’s record profits over the human costs of climate change,” said the panel’s chair, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, in a statement.
