Visit of Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs Sim Ann to Skukuza, South Africa, for the G20 Development Ministers' Meeting, 24 to 25 July 2025

Senior Minister of State (SMS) for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs Sim Ann was in Skukuza, South Africa, to attend the G20 Development Ministers’ Meeting (DMM).

At the DMM, the Ministers committed to using the G20 platform to galvanise the international community to support developing countries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. They also discussed ways to combat Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) and reaffirmed the importance of accelerating the adoption of Social Protection Floors.

In her interventions, SMS Sim highlighted the importance of social protection floors to countries’ long-term growth and stability as well as how workforce development, tripartite cooperation and strengthening governance can support this goal. To help combat IFFs, she emphasised the need to ensure disciplined and sustainable public financing, and to deepen multilateral cooperation to deal with emerging global challenges such as AI, cybersecurity, and transnational crime. The full text of SMS Sim’s remarks is appended.

On the sidelines of the DMM, SMS Sim Ann met Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of South Africa Maropene Ramokgopa, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation of Egypt Dr Rania Al Mashat, Minister of International Development of Norway Åsmund Aukrust, Minister of State for International Development and the Diaspora of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland Neale Richmond, and Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Development Affairs and International Organisations of the United Arab Emirates Sultan Mohd Al Shamsi. During her meeting with South African Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Maropene Ramokgopa, SMS Sim Ann expressed Singapore’s appreciation to South Africa’s leadership for the invitation to attend the various G20 meetings.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

26 JULY 2025

2025 G20 DEVELOPMENT MINISTERS’ MEETING

KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA

24-25 JULY 2025

INTERVENTION FOR SESSION I: ILLICIT FINANCIAL FLOWS / SOCIAL PROTECTION

1.     To our gracious host and distinguished guests, dumelang. I want to thank you for inviting Singapore to the Development Ministerial Meeting.

2.     Singapore supports the South African G20 Presidency’s priority on combatting Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) which is critical in scaling up domestic resource mobilisation.

3.     IFFs drain resources and undermine governments’ abilities to finance development priorities. Combatting IFFs allow governments to direct resources towards productive means to support developmental needs.

4.     At the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) in Seville earlier this month, I noted that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) annual financing gap, estimated at US$4 trillion, continues to constrain sustainable development. Combatting IFFs will help us to go some way to bridging this gap.

5.     Colleagues, allow me to share three possible areas where we can focus our efforts.

(a)  First, ensuring disciplined and sustainable public financing. This means, among others, building fair and effective tax systems, and strengthening safeguards against corruption. It is timely for us to remember that the international rule of law is in itself a Global Public Good (GPG). Allow me to take this opportunity to express Singapore’s appreciation for the South African G20 Presidency’s efforts in taking on the complex and difficult issue of GPGs as a development priority. 

(b) Second, to better optimise public funds and resources to accelerate digitalisation efforts. Digitalisation is key to driving our economies, societies, and way of life. We should ensure that digitalisation remains human-centric, so that nobody gets left behind. This ensures that while we ramp up development projects, their execution does not inadvertently result in further inequality, particularly amongst less digital-savvy groups.

(c)  Third, strengthening multilateral cooperation. A strong multilateral framework for dealing with issues on transnational security is needed to reflect and respond to the realities of the rapidly evolving security environment, such as to deal with emerging global challenges arising from the misuse of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). It is important that we work together to address any possible information and regulatory gaps in order to tackle these challenges effectively. Singapore is an active member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which sets the international Standards to tackle money laundering and terrorism financing, and in partnership with the global network, assess countries’ effective implementation of its Standards.

6.     The task of mobilising resources to support development efforts is undoubtedly a complex challenge, but it is one that we can address together through shared commitment and political resolve. I thank South Africa for focusing our attention on this important topic, and for challenging us to redouble existing efforts and renew our commitment to the 2030 Agenda.

7.     Thank you. 

2025 G20 DEVELOPMENT MINISTERS’ MEETING

KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA

24-25 JULY 2025

INTERVENTION FOR SESSION II: MINISTERIAL DECLARATION

Minister Ramokgopa,

Colleagues,

1.     Singapore supports the South African G20 Presidency’s focus on supporting development through establishing social protection floors (SPFs) and tackling illicit financial flows (IFFs). 

2.     We congratulate the South African Presidency and the G20 Members for arriving at a concise, action-oriented, and forward-looking Ministerial Declaration that draws attention to important development issues.

3.     Besides illicit financial flows, I would like to speak on the other important priority that South Africa has identified, SPFs. SPFs ensure that every individual has access to basic human needs like healthcare, clean water, and employment. In addition, they contribute to countries’ long-term growth and stability by fostering social cohesion and human capital.

4.     Allow me to share three possible areas where we can focus our efforts.

(a)  First, education and lifelong learning. As a small, resource-poor country, Singapore has invested heavily in human capital development. We provide continuous skills training through our SkillsFuture programme to equip our working population with the necessary skills to remain competitive while reducing disruptions caused by technological transitions.

(b) Second, enhancing partnerships between the government, employers, and unions to ensure protections for workers while considering business needs. It is important to look to the future and extend the coverage of our social protections, to better meet emerging needs. 

(c)  Third, strengthening governance. Our own development experience has taught us that strong governance and accountable leadership are key to ensuring long-term success. This is at the heart of our Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP), which equips participants from fellow developing countries with skills and best practices that they can take home and implement in a way that best suits their needs. Through the SCP, we want to provide platforms to foster the sharing of experiences and expertise.

5.     Singapore looks forward to continuing to be a constructive partner with the G20 in these efforts.

6.     Ke a leboga. Thank you. 

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