As the world prepares for the upcoming G20 Summit, global civil society has issued a call-to-action urging world leaders to commit to solidarity, equality, and sustainability as the cornerstones of a just global order.
Representing more than 3,000 civil society organisations across the world, the Civil 20 - (C20) the official civil society engagement group of the G20 - today presented its Political Declaration and Communiqué to G20 leaders, outlining key recommendations to reform global systems and advance people-centred development.
Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria, C20 Sherpa Mabalane Mfundisi said the declaration reflects the lived realities and policy priorities of communities most affected by inequality, exclusion, and crisis.
The declaration marks the culmination of South Africa’s G20 Presidency and draws from the work of 14 C20 working groups shaped by feminist, youth, disability, Indigenous and LGBTQI+ perspectives.
“The wellbeing of people and the health of the planet must be at the centre of the global economic agenda. The time for incrementalism has passed. The path ahead must be grounded in participation, redistribution, and environmental justice,” the declaration states.
A blueprint for a just and sustainable world
The C20 communiqué calls for far-reaching reforms across five key pillars: economic justice, climate action, technology and cultural sovereignty, food and care economies, and civic participation.
Among its major demands, the C20 calls for:
- Reform of global financial institutions to reflect the economic contributions of the Global South, including democratic governance of the IMF and World Bank.
- Debt cancellation and establishment of fair, UN-led mechanisms to manage sovereign debt, coupled with reparative and redistributive financing models.
- A time-bound transition away from fossil fuels, anchored in climate justice and community-defined just transition plans.
- Investment in inclusive education, technology governance, and indigenous knowledge systems to promote decolonised, future-ready societies.
- Protection of civic space and defenders, and creation of a Permanent G20 Gender Equality Taskforce to advance women’s representation.
The declaration also urges world leaders to reject extractive economic models that erode local resources, to recognise local and Indigenous knowledge systems as engines of climate and economic resilience, and to embed equity in global migration and environmental governance.
As the C20 prepares for its official summit from 12 – 14 November 2025, the organisation says its message to the G20 is clear: the future is political, and justice delayed is justice denied.
“We present this declaration not just to G20 governments but to the people of the world, as a manifesto for just futures. Let this be the year civil society was not simply heard but heeded,” Mfundisi said.
The C20’s Political Declaration and Communiqué will inform discussions at the upcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit, as South Africa concludes its term as G20 President.
“The future is not sustainable without justice. No one must be left behind. The question is: not whether the G20 has been told - but whether they will act on the clear collective demands of the constituencies they serve,” Mfundisi said.
The 14 Policy Briefs and 2 Statements of Intent that form an integral part of this Political Declaration/ Communiquè can be found on this link : https://showmeyournumbersa-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/mabalane_showmeyournumber_org_za2/EixLqldt9M1OiYJXIv7lskABL3ZvvWuFZuscm3XwCIxVjA?e=qMvFWA - SAnews.gov.za
