I would like to thank Steve Howard, Secretary General of The Global Foundation, for bringing together so many distinguished guests to discuss the state of the world and how it might be improved. I also thank Jock Murray, Chairman of The Global Foundation, for his kind introduction. I am honoured to set the stage for the keynote address by His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine provided impetus to South Africa’s commodity export prices, lifting growth in the first quarter of 2022. However, these positive global shocks are fading, shifting us back into more usual conditions.