The UAE, represented by the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of the country participated in the first G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting (FMCBG) held in Cape Town from February 26 to 27.

According to Amac News, the UAE delegation was led by Mohammed Hadi Al Husseini, Minister of Finance; and included Ibrahim Obaid Al Zaabi, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank for Monetary Policy and Financial Stability; Ali Abdullah Sharafi, Acting Deputy Director for International Financial Relations at the Ministry of Finance; and Soraya Hamid Al Hashemi, Director of Financial Relations and International Organizations at the Ministry of Finance.
The meetings focused on the priorities set by South Africa, which chaired the meeting, under the theme of “Solidarity, Equity, Sustainability,” which included strengthening resilience and response to crises, ensuring debt sustainability for low-income countries, attracting capital for a fair energy transition, and exploiting minerals vital for inclusive growth and sustainable development. These topics covered areas such as macroeconomic growth, international financial architecture, infrastructure, tax cooperation, health cooperation, and financial sector issues and sustainable financial integration.
The UAE minister highlighted the challenges of financial sustainability constraints that disproportionately affect emerging and developing economies (EMDEs), and highlighted the G20’s efforts to strengthen multilateral development banks (MDBs) and improve debt sustainability for EMDEs through measures such as increased knowledge exchange on capital flows.
Discussions also focused on developing an investable infrastructure pipeline and blended finance roles and risk mitigation instruments. Al Husseini noted the alignment of these pipelines with national economic growth goals to attract private sector investment and expand economic impact.
He also expressed the UAE’s commitment to strengthening global trade corridors to improve infrastructure and cross-border trade connectivity.
On tax cooperation, the Emirati minister stressed that the UAE is committed to working with other stakeholders to promote an inclusive international tax system. He highlighted the importance of mobilizing domestic resources in this effort, as well as enhancing capacity-building to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
On the sidelines of these meetings, Al Husseini held a bilateral meeting with German Finance Minister Jörg Kokis to discuss future cooperation opportunities at the G20, chaired by South Africa. During the meeting, he discussed promoting bilateral financial cooperation between the UAE and Germany.
Meanwhile, the UAE also participated in the second G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies Meeting (FCBD), chaired by South Africa, in Cape Town from February 24-25, to review the priorities set by the meeting’s leadership for the 2025 fiscal roadmap.
The UAE delegation discussed key policy issues at the meeting, including financing for development, reviewing the G20’s working methods, and sustainable development in EMDEs.
During the G20FCBD meetings, the UAE delegation emphasized the use of international trade as an engine for development, debt sustainability measures to expand the financial space for investment in the SDGs, and the comprehensive exploitation of technological advances and data monitoring for sustainable development.
This is the UAE’s sixth participation since the establishment of the G20. The UAE has participated in previous G20 events and summits as the guest country in Brazil in 2024, India in 2023, Indonesia in 2022, Saudi Arabia in 2020, and France in 2011.