At the Leaders' Summit to be held in Rio de Janeiro on November 18 and 19, Brasil will symbolically pass on the coordination of the G20's work to South Africa. The South African presidency will officially begin on December 1st. It will be the first time that the continent with the most young people in the world will host the G20, and the youth are excited to start their work.
For the first time in the history of the G20, the forum has been chaired by the Global South for such a long time. Since 2022, with Indonesia, the following presidencies have been held by India (2023), Brasil (2024) and next year, 2025, the baton will be held by South Africa. But what does this mean politically and how does it influence the debate dynamics of the world's largest economies, both on the Finance and Sherpa tracks and in the G20 Social engagement groups?
In this context, the G20 Brasil talked to the youth representatives of South Africa and the African Union, who attended the Youth 20 Summit last month. A perspective on the Global South agenda and the future of the G20 under the South African presidency by those who are the future of the continent.
Africa is the youngest continent in the world; about 70% of its population is under the age of 30. According to United Nations (UN) data, this number is expected to continue rising until 2050.
"This is a historic moment for developing countries, for the connections of the Global South, because these countries will be able to ensure that the voices and issues concerning them are well communicated. Often, the Global South's countries do not have an adequate role on the international stage, and now they are involved in this process, creating a new voice and a new sense of development," said Lutfiyya Dean, head of the delegation of South Africa at Youth 20.
What is the Global South? Learn more here.
A speech that meets the impressions of the President of the Federative Republic of Brasil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. "Without the developing countries, it will not be possible to open up a new cycle of global expansion that combines growth, reduction of inequalities, environmental preservation, and the expansion of freedoms. The Global South is becoming an essential part of the solution to the main crises that afflict the planet," said Lula in his speech at the opening of the 37th African Union Summit earlier this year.
The youngest continent in the world
The African Union, made up of more than 50 nations, debuted at the G20 this year and, in the youth engagement group, was represented by Bora Kamwanya, vice-president of the Pan African Youth Union. Bora stressed the importance of the Union's entry into the forum of the world's largest economies and highlighted youth issues for the organization.
"We are sure young people must be in all decision-making structures, from creation to monitoring. This is very important, young people need to be at the beginning, the middle, and the end, especially when it comes to monitoring, because we need to know what goes right and what goes wrong," he said. Africa is the youngest continent in the world; about 70% of its population is under the age of 30. According to United Nations (UN) data, this number is expected to continue rising until 2050.
"We can bring this unique perspective on how to change the world. However, most of the institutions that we see today are institutions from the 70s, 50s, 40s. Every new generation needs new ideas. We need governance that speaks to the present and the future," added the young man, confident of the difference that the active participation of young people can make to the G20, especially under South Africa's presidency.
Perspectives on South Africa's G20 presidency
In 2025, it will be the first time in history that the African continent will host the G20. According to Lutfiyya, a continental activist for youth, the thematic areas of the Brazilian presidency have laid a solid foundation, covering diversity, inclusion, the world of work, and the reform of global governance, which will be mirrored in her country's presidency.
"South Africa will continue this 'marathon'. Work in Brasil and India cooperated to shorten this path, but South Africa will follow this legacy. We will not reinvent the wheel, so the remaining priority areas will be focused on sustainable energy and reducing poverty rates. We will work to accelerate the voice of the Global South and, finally, public policy. We will continue the mandate from this year's strengths, and seek to move forward on new development issues, especially in relation to sustainability, energy, digitalization and its use," she said.
