By Kate Walsh
On the 22nd and 23rd of November this year, the G20 Johannesburg summit will be convened in Africa for the first time and will include a presentation by the civil society-led C20. The G20 summit is a meeting of heads of state and government from twenty countries to discuss ideas and formulate policies around major international economic issues, with the C20 giving a platform to the voices of civil society to contribute to these critical conversations.
The C20 are in the process of drafting a declaration to present to President Cyril Ramaphosa during the summit. Over 2400 global organisations have made inputs on the policy briefs for a collection of 14 workgroups. Civil society volunteers facilitate the workgroups and cover the broad themes of the 2025 summit: Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability.
Hosting the G20 in Africa for the first time has emboldened the C20 to remind policy-makers to consider issues prevalent in South Africa and other African countries, such as inequality and development finance, stating that ‘a Pan-African perspective’ is their deliberate stance. The workgroups have currently completed a first draft of the policy proposals.
Under the theme of ‘Solidarity’, the workgroups discuss finance and global governance. Recommendations will be drafted based on issues such as giving voice to poorer nations, investments into rural economies, and other essential contributions towards eradicating poverty. They will also provide suggestions on the inclusive use of technology and knowledge systems. The initial draft of the policy calls for “urgent reform in global financial governance”.
Goals for the ‘Equality’ workgroups include resilient farming for food sustainability, and the role of the informal economy, among other issues surrounding food and transformation, stating that “at the heart of our agenda is one simple truth: development must be people-centred, inclusive and just”. According to their initial draft, the workgroups ask that indigenous peoples be able to contribute to climate negotiations, education reform, and cultural policy bodies at the G20 level.
The ‘Sustainability’ workgroups will make recommendations around education, health, and infrastructure. The policy urges “we cannot continue to tolerate gendered barriers in employment, education, and the persistent neglect of rural areas in service delivery,” advocating for the consideration of women and marginalised groups to direct the G20’s discussions. The proposal also suggests the need for communities to increase their capacity for enhanced digital spaces.
After reviewing the proposals from the workgroups, the C20 advisory committee highlighted the complexity of the relationship between raised issues: They point out the links evident between climate change and food security, rural digital exclusion and education, and nutrition and poverty.
Upcoming key moments for the C20 will include an Immigrations 20 Summit (9 – 10 October 2025), People to People Soccer Bonanza (16 November 2025), and Digital Power of Women Summit (21 – 22 November). The C20 South Africa End-Term and Policy Finalisation meeting will take place 1 – 3 October with 350 people in attendance. The work of C20 South Africa will allow communities to engage with global policy makers about their most pressing needs, in the hopes of facilitating powerful reform for Africa and the world.
