17:02 JST, February 21, 2025

The Group of 20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is being held in South Africa from Feb. 20-21. On this occasion, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot contributed an article to major media outlets from G20 members, including The Japan News.

By Jean-Noel Barrot / French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs

We are being told that the world is divided between a “Global North” and a “Global South.” But what exactly is meant by that? An economic difference? Of the 20 leading global economies, seven are in the “South.” In the “South,” some countries are 80 times richer than their neighbours. Climate differences? Climate change affects every country in the world, and especially small island States and the poorest countries. Among the 10 greatest emitters, if we go by CO2 emissions per inhabitant, there are as many in the North as in the South. Are we talking about a migration difference? The vast majority of migrations are between countries in the South. A political divide? In both the North and the South, there are those who support collective solutions, and........

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