Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the African Union should be a permanent member of the Group of 20.

Whereas the Group of 20, or G20, is an important intergovernmental forum for international economic cooperation, and which plays a critical role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues; Whereas, currently, the G20 represents approximately 65 percent of the world’s population, 85 percent of the world’s GDP, and 75 percent of global trade; Whereas, currently, South Africa is the only African country that is a member of the G20, and approximately 96 percent of Africa’s population are not represented in the forum; Whereas the African Union is composed of 55 members, representing approximately 1.4 billion people, a population that is projected to grow to 2.5 billion people by 2050; Whereas Africa has vast, untapped economic potential, based on the projected sizable increase in its labor force, potential to increase value-added economic activity, a substantial natural resource base, scope for substantial growth in currently low average income levels, and other factors, but also faces complex challenges relating to its economic development prospects, potential climate change impacts, and other global policy issues, which are likely to require close African cooperation with other global regions to manage and resolve; Whereas 54 of 55 African Union members are signatories of the agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which entered into force in 2019 and seeks to create the world’s largest free trade area and a single continental market, and expand intraregional trade and African trade with the world; Whereas the African Union established the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in 2016, including with support from the United States, and the Centres played a key role in the African response to the COVID–19 pandemic; Whereas the G20 has several initiatives that impact African countries, including the G20 Compact with Africa, which was launched in 2017 during Germany’s G20 presidency and is a joint program supported by the International Monetary Fund, the African Development Bank, and the World Bank to enhance private sector finance; Whereas making the African Union a permanent member would make the G20 representative of approximately 80 percent of the global population; and Whereas, during the 2022 United States-Africa Leaders Summit, President Biden, asserting that Africa belongs at the table in every room—in every room where global challenges are being discussed and in every institution where discussions are taking place, That the House of Representatives— (1) supports the African Union’s accession into the G20 as a permanent member; (2) urges increased representation of African countries in decision-making roles within the United Nations bodies, other multilateral agencies and fora, and other elements of the global governance system; and (3) calls on the United States to use its voice, vote, and influence at the G20 to expeditiously facilitate the African Union’s permanent membership in the G20.

Summary: This resolution supports the accession of the African Union into the Group of 20 as a permanent member. It also urges increased representation of African countries in decisionmaking roles within the U.N. and other entities of the global governance system.