Latest news with #C20SouthAfrica

IOL News
10 hours ago
- Politics
- IOL News
G20: Civil society must make meaningful contributions in order to shape policy development
Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, urged civil society organisations to ensure their voices resonate in the lead-up to the G20 Summit set to take place later this year. Image: Filed Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Mmapaseka Steve Letsike has called on civil society organisations represented at the C20 South Africa launch in Sandton to make sure their voices are heard. Letsike who delivered her message to the C20 South Africa launch virtually with a message directed at women, children and persons with disability said no one should be left behind in ensuring that South Africa's hosting of the G20 Summit later this year is a success. C20, which is a gathering of various civil society organisations across 14 working groups, tasked with developing policy proposals to be presented to government comes just over 23 weeks before South Africa is set to be the first African country to host the G20 Summit Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Women and gender equity, people to people interaction and solidarity, poverty alleviation and food sustainability, democratic governance, civic space, anti-corruption and access to justice-- are some of the key working groups tasked with policy development ahead of the summit. "I stand before you honoured that South Africa is set to host the G20 Summit later this year. For South Africa, this is not a box-ticking exercise. It is an opportunity to reshape the global landscape, and we must adopt a spirit of no G20 presidency is guided by strong principles, and we must leave no one behind in our bid to restore dignity of our people and be the moral centre of multilaterism. "We must be the dreamers and doers, not in abstract terms but in concrete terms and our dreams must be translated into concrete actions across all the working groups, "she said. Dr Mathole Motshekga during the feedback session of the C20 South Africa launch at The Capital on the Park in Sandton on Monday. Image: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspapers With an emphasis on inclusivity and gender equality, Letsike also called on the working groups to make meaningful contributions in order to shape policy development on the global stage. The C20, a collective of diverse civil society organisations based across 14 working groups, aims to develop policy proposals for submission to the government as South Africa gears up to host the G20 Summit. "The disability inclusion stream and all these working streams are not intended to be for box-ticking exercise as we believe that those closest to the pain must be the closest to power and the C20 South Africa must bring solutions that bring integrated response to these communities. "In essence, we must move from paper to power and ensure the tG20 budget is inclusive and leaves no one behind... We must track this budget and demand accountability on violence against children and women and ensure civil society is not consulted but co-governs," she said.

IOL News
a day ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Civil society at G20 gathering: 'No democratic society with huge unemployed population'
C20 South Africa chairperson Thulani Tshefuta highlighted the group's role, not as adversaries of the government but as crucial partners who advocate for those most vulnerable in society. Image: Itumeleng English/Independent Newspapers With just over 23 weeks left before South Africa gets to host the G20 Summit in November this year, more than 14 working groups from diverse civil society organisations gathered at The Capital on the Park in Sandton as part of the C20 South Africa Launch on Sunday. Chairperson Thulani Tshefuta highlighted the group's role not as adversaries of the government but as crucial partners who advocate for those most vulnerable in society and emphasised the need for advocacy work to align with South Africa's medium term development plan and the United Nations' agenda for 2030. His call for a mass-based, people-centred approach resonated throughout the launch, pointing to the urgent need for comprehensive consultations that address the issues faced by communities across the country. "We are not anti-government as we have been labeled as friends of government. When we have to respond to the plight of the poor, we are told this is expensive we can't afford that, but ours is to press on. "'m not about to pretend when we do our advocacy at community level. our work must align with the medium development plan and the agenda 2030. Our strategic approach should be truly mass-based, people centred and imbued with awareness of our advocacy issues. The challenge is that we must rise above our immediate challenge and look at strategic development instruments, we must be big and wide in our consultation," he said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading The 14 working groups include Women and Gender Equity, People to people interaction and Solidarity, Poverty Alleviation and Food Sustainability, Democratic governance, Civic Space, Anti-Corruption and Access to Justice, Cultural Diversity Recognition and Embracement, Trade and Sustainable Development, Digital and Inclusive Economies, Sustainable and Resilient Communities and Disaster Risk Reduction. These working groups also include four themes that include youth empowerment, addressing issues affecting women, meaningful inclusion of persons with disabilities and ensuring that LGBTQI+ people are not left behind. Tshefuta said intentional actions are needed to reverse the tide of poverty and unemployment, adding that this cannot be done without active market policies. "There will be no democratic society with such a huge population which is unemployed and idle. Poverty is real. Poverty is alive. There are people we refer to as being vulnerable, but we say nothing anything about those who are fully marginalised. It is a struggle to keep them surviving in the marginst," he said.