IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 525 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the African Union 
should be a permanent member of the Group of 20. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 20, 2023 
Ms. JACOBS (for herself, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCOR-
MICK, Mr. ALLRED, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, and Mr. MEEKS) submitted 
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
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 intergov-
ernmental forum for international economic cooperation, 
and which plays a critical role in shaping and strength-
ening 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 per-
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•HRES 525 IH 
cent of Africa’s population are not represented in the 
forum; 
Whereas the African Union is composed of 55 members, rep-
resenting 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, poten-
tial to increase value-added economic activity, a substan-
tial 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 pan-
demic; 
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 
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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,’’ announced United 
States support for the accession of the African Union to 
the G20 as a permanent member of the group: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, 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 facili-
tate the African Union’s permanent membership in 
the G20. 
Æ 
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