Pretoria: 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 Communiqu© to G20 leaders, outlining key recommendations to reform global systems and advance people-centred development.

According to South African Government News Agency, 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 C20 communiqu© 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. It also emphasizes debt cancellation and the establishment of fair, UN-led mechanisms to manage sovereign debt, coupled with reparative and redistributive financing models.

The declaration also urges a time-bound transition away from fossil fuels, anchored in climate justice and community-defined just transition plans. It calls for investment in inclusive education, technology governance, and indigenous knowledge systems to promote decolonised, future-ready societies. Protection of civic space and defenders, along with the creation of a Permanent G20 Gender Equality Taskforce to advance women’s representation, are also highlighted.

The C20’s Political Declaration and Communiqu© 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.