In response to reports that the White House National Security Council has ordered U.S. agencies to suspend all work on the G20, for which South Africa holds the presidency this year, Rebecca Riddell, Oxfam America’s Senior Policy Lead for Economic and Racial Justice, said:
“Any decision by the Trump administration to run away from the G20 would be a shortsighted desertion of what’s in the interest of ordinary people in the U.S. and around the world. The G20 is an important forum for the world's largest economies to collaboratively respond to economic crises that impact communities worldwide. Manufacturing an international culture war— with the country that defeated apartheid no less—won’t distract from this administration’s harmful economic agenda at home, and the havoc it is wreaking in country after country.
“The responsible course of action would be for President Trump and the administration to actually engage in multilateral spaces—not hide away—and to reckon with the chaos their policies have created. South Africa has rightly ensured that tackling extreme inequality is on the G20 agenda this year, and U.S. withdrawal would only underscore the need for other countries to cooperate to deliver material change."
Oxfam is a global organization that fights inequality to end poverty and injustice. We offer lifesaving support in times of crisis and advocate for economic justice, gender equality, and climate action. We demand equal rights and equal treatment so that everyone can thrive, not just survive. The future is equal. Join us at oxfamamerica.org.
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