G20 Foreign Ministers Meet in Atlanta, Takes Up Energy Security

- Meeting: G20 Foreign Ministers met in Atlanta, Georgia, on 30–31 October 2026 under the US Presidency to discuss global economic challenges.

- Energy Security: Ministers stressed the need for abundant, affordable and accessible energy to support economic growth, industrial development and improved living standards.

- Growing Energy Demand: Rising demand driven by population growth, industrialisation, electrification, transportation, cooling requirements and digitalisation was highlighted.

- Nuclear Energy: Small modular reactors (SMRs) and micro reactors were recognised as potential technologies for meeting electricity demand and strengthening energy security.

- National Energy Choices: Every country should have the sovereign right to determine its own energy mix based on its national requirements.

- Supply Chain Resilience: G20 members called for greater transparency, information-sharing, investment and improved regulatory and permitting processes to strengthen global supply chains.

- Critical Minerals: Governments were encouraged to work closely with the private sector to expand the processing, refining and recycling of critical minerals.

- Investment Environment: Stable domestic regulations and durable contractual frameworks, particularly for long-term agreements, were identified as important for attracting investment.

- Geopolitical Tensions: Ministers emphasised secure and uninterrupted energy flows, safe navigation through international waterways, including the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, and protection of critical infrastructure.

- Food Trade and Coercion: The statement opposed using food and agricultural trade as an instrument of economic or political coercion against other countries.

- Ebola Response: Ministers highlighted international cooperation in combating Ebola and noted that US$2 billion had been raised at a September 2026 event in New York to support the response.

- Sports Diplomacy: Ministers appreciated Atlanta and Georgia for hosting the meeting and providing an opportunity to experience American football traditions.

- Next Meetings: The US Presidency looked forward to the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Miami, followed by the United Kingdom’s G20 Presidency in 2027.

[ABS News Service/02.11.2026]

1. The G20 Foreign Ministers met in Atlanta, Georgia on October 30 and October 31, 2026, in the 250th year of the United States’ independence. The U.S. presidency has pursued taking the G20 back to basics, focusing on its core mission of discussing global economic challenges and proposing solutions that help improve our citizens’ lives, raise their standards of living, and create economic prosperity for everyone. The ministers held candid discussions on the U.S. priorities. Specifically, ministers discussed energy security, supply chain resilience, and geopolitical tensions, including the Straits of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandab.

Energy Security

2. Every country is sensitive to the price of energy. Every time there is an increase in the price of gasoline, the cost of natural gas to heat a home, or the electricity to power our digital lives, the cost of energy is felt by everyone. No country can have prosperity without energy. Far too often governments have placed barriers to energy production and punished their own people with higher costs. This is why it is not enough to have access to energy; it is important that energy is abundant and access for everyone is affordable. These conditions promote productivity, strengthen industry, improve energy security, and increase economic growth. It is also vital that countries build the infrastructure to develop and deploy the energy systems of the future. Abundant energy is the backbone of a booming economy and the foundation of enduring prosperity.

3. Energy is a foundational requirement for economic progress. Too often, misguided policies in one part of the world have stifled energy access in another part of the world. At the same time, global energy demand keeps increasing as economies grow, driven by a range of factors, including population growth, economic development, industrialization, electrification, increasing cooling needs, expanding car and truck demand, and the unprecedented rise of digitalization and information technology. Meeting demand in a manner that addresses affordability, accessibility, and security strengthens economic competitiveness and resilience; enhances participation in the global economy; and, critically, people live better, healthier, more prosperous lives.

4. Further, emerging energy technologies can deliver abundant, baseload energy. Advancements in civil nuclear energy technology, including small modular and micro reactors, can contribute to meeting growing global electricity demand and enhancing energy security. Still, we recognize that, for some, nuclear energy may not be a desired option for their energy mix.

5. Every country is on its own energy path and each country’s needs will demand different energy sources. One country should not be constrained by what another country decides to use. Every country is entitled to make its own sovereign choices.

Supply Chain Resilience

6. Global supply chains are crucial for modern societies to thrive. Basic materials like fertilizer are essential for food production and security, raw materials are necessary for basic manufacturing, and critical minerals are crucial for energy security, advanced manufacturing, and emerging technologies.

7. It is important that G20 members improve the resilience of these supply chains, and it begins with sharing more information, improving transparency, and mobilizing investment. Updating the permitting process and regulations can further expand supply chain efficiency.

8. Recognizing that governments alone cannot solve this problem, governments should commit to close partnerships with the private sector. Such partnership can help advance processing, refining and recycling of critical minerals. Investment is crucial to strengthening supply chains. Stable and predictable domestic regulatory environments, along with durable contractual frameworks, particularly for long-term agreements, underpin the investments required to expand supply chains for energy and critical minerals.

Geopolitical Tensions

9. The world has felt the effects of significant global energy disruptions in 2026. It is important to ensure secure, resilient, and uninterrupted energy flows, including safe navigation and transit passage through international waterways and the security of critical infrastructure, as essential to global economic stability and energy security.

10. Further, the weaponization of normal food supply chains is an increasingly frequent challenge within the trading system, whereby a government takes targeted actions to slow, stop, or block the trade of food in order to exert coercive pressure over another sovereign country on an unrelated geopolitical issue. It is important the global community agree that trade in food and agricultural products should not be used as a tool for economic or political coercion.

Ebola

11. As Ministers noted, international cooperation is key to combating Ebola. The $2 billion raised to fight the outbreak at the September event in New York, held during the U.S. presidency, has catalyzed a more aggressive response to this deadly disease. The G20 commends the communities and the frontline responders for their tireless efforts.

Sports Diplomacy

12. Ministers expressed their appreciation to the people of Atlanta and the State of Georgia for their hospitality. It also provided an opportunity for G20 partners to experience the deep American tradition of U.S. football, and one of the greatest collegiate rivalries between the University of Georgia and the University of Florida.

13. The U.S. G20 Presidency appreciates G20 members’ contributions to our candid, substantive deliberations in Atlanta. We look forward to the Leaders’ Summit in Miami and the presidency of the United Kingdom in 2027.