On the 1st of December 2024, South Africa assumed the Presidency of the G20 group of countries. The Group of 20 (G20) is a forum of the twenty largest economies in the world that meet regularly to discuss the most pressing issues facing the global economy. Together, the G20 accounts for more than 80% of world GDP, 75% of global trade and 60% of the population of the planet. In 2023 the African Union (AU) joined the G20.

The South African presidency has adopted the following themes for its global G20 Presidency: Sustainable Development, Solidarity, Equality

South Africa is uniquely positioned as an inception member of the G20, founded in 1999, and the last of the four consecutive Global South G20 presidencies in a row namely Indonesia, India, and Brazil. The Global South will only take the Presidency 20 years from now. In 2025 the Troika will consist of Brazil, South Africa and the United States of America. South Africa will therefore prioritise the needs and aspirations of Africa and the Global South during its presidency while summoning all countries to take “practical steps that will resolve global challenges” and “(strengthen) international cooperation” in the words of President Cyril Ramaphosa in his address to the UN.

The G20 annually culminates in a joint Leaders Declaration recognising the key areas for commitment and action. The declarations are informed by engagement groups, which are independent collectives in the Sherpa track led by individuals and organisations (civil society, academia, business) from the host country, who work with other organisations from G20 countries to develop and formally submit policy recommendations to G20 leaders for consideration. W20 works closely with the Women’s Empowerment Working Group in the Ministerial Track. 

Women 20 (W20) is an official engagement group of the G20 dedicated to gender equality and women’s economic empowerment, annually developing consensus based recommendations to ensure that gender is mainstreamed and included in the G20 leaders discussions and ultimately the Leaders’ Declaration. The W20SA leadership is under the head of delegation and chair Prof Narnia Bohler-Muller with the support of the Human Sciences Research Council. The Co-chair and coordinator is Ms Sibulele Poswayo, Founder and Executive of the inEquality Movement.

W20 continues to reaffirm its commitment to achieving the UN SDGs particularly SDG 5 and advancing women’s economic empowerment as a catalyst for sustainable development.

The theme for W20SA, aligning with the South Africa presidency themes of solidarity, equality and sustainable development is: Women in Solidarity towards Sustainable Socio-Economic Development.

The defining value for W20SA, drawing from the essence of the African way of being, is: UBUNTU: I am because you are, I am because we are. The guiding principles for W20SA are unity, multilateralism, mutual respect and inclusivity.

The key objectives are to:

• Guarantee the inclusion of W20 recommendations in the Leaders Declaration
• Honour 10 years of W20
• Promote people-centric advocacy through effective outreach and knowledge sharing
• Strengthen the voices of the Global South
• Develop 3-year recommendation-based implementation projects with partners for mid- and long-term impact for Africa and the Global South, which promotes inclusive economic recovery, climate change resilience, and health system strengthening.

W20 Thematic Areas

W20SA’s official launch will take place in Pretoria on 26 February 2025 NRF Auditorium, NRF Building, South Gate CSIR Complex. Attendance is open to all. RSVP here.

Find out more about the W20 here.