South Africa's C20 summit: Addressing inequality and unemployment for youth and women
Image: Supplied/GCIS
The Civil 20 (C20) engagement process will prioritise pressing issues like inequality and unemployment affecting women and youth, gathering insights from grassroots communities ahead of the C20 summit, which will pave the way for the G20 summit in South Africa in November.
This was highlighted during a Pretoria media briefing on Monday by the C20 South Africa leadership team, which gave an update on preparations to deliver the C20 policy pack before the G20 summit.
C20 chairperson Thulani Tshefuta said:'We have taken a conscious decision of making this as the first South African G20 to be less about South Africa but more about Africa as a whole.'
The C20, he said, has established structures representing various sectors, including women, disability, youth, health, and education, to shape the G20's processes and ensure diverse perspectives are considered.
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He mentioned that the C20 held a mid-term policy dialogue from June 22-24, 2025, in Sandton, which was attended by over 300 people in person and more than 1 800 virtually.
He said that the C20 deliberations have thoroughly explored the government's theme, emphasising solidarity, equality, and sustainability.
'Our meaning to the theme is that we have different role players that can play different, but complimentary roles between government and non-government actors. At the very least the volatile geo-political development reflects the vulnerabilities of economies to external shocks, almost instantly finding expression on the daily lives and experiences of the people,' he said.
Tshefuta advocated for economically inclusive growth to achieve shared prosperity, emphasising the need to place people at the forefront of economic activities as active participants, contributors, and beneficiaries.
He stressed that education and health are crucial public services that should be accessible to all, regardless of social status, and that quality services in these areas should be universally available.
He said the approach by governments needs to prioritise job creation and employment opportunities, with a specific focus on addressing youth unemployment.
'There must be a dedicated focus on programmes that will implement youth employment from both government and the private sector. Society must do everything to invest in the lives of young people through education, employment and entrepreneurship and the economy in order for society as a whole to draw the demographic dividend. We can not expect to draw a dividend where we have not made investments,' he said.
Leading up to the G20 summit, the organisation will hold provincial consultations in all nine provinces, prioritising grassroots participation and seeking direct input from the people.
C20 South Africa Sherpa, Mabalane Mfundisi, announced that the C20 will organise people-to-people engagements through sports and culture, including a soccer match and a large concert with a global appeal in each of the nine provinces.
The activities will culminate in a major event on November 15 featuring local artists, and on November 16, a soccer match between a PSL team and a team from another African country, with further details to be announced later.
From November 12 to 14, the C20 will hold a consultation meeting, aiming to bring together 3,000 civil society representatives from around the world to discuss and deliberate on the organisation's policy proposals and documents.
Mfundisi said the government's theme focuses on solidarity, equality, and sustainability, and the C20 is working through its various working groups to identify actions that contribute to achieving the goals.
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