Johannesburg, 19 November 2025: The voices of global civil society, labour, youth, women, and vulnerable groups took centre stage at the Social 20 (S20) Summit, held in Johannesburg from 18–20 November. Under South Africa's G20 Presidency theme of ‘Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability’, the S20 – first introduced by Brazil in 2024 – convened a diverse spectrum of stakeholders to elevate social development, equity, and inclusion to the same level of urgency as macroeconomic priorities.

A defining feature of the summit was its strong focus on strengthening resilience to global shocks, a core priority of the South African G20 Presidency. In this context, ERIA, in partnership with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency and the engagement group Values 20 (V20), co-hosted a side event titled ‘Dynamic Governance for a Resilient Global South’ on 19 November. The session addressed a range of cross-cutting issues, with a particular emphasis on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).

The 2-hour discussion featured H.E. Keriako Tobiko, Former Cabinet Secretary for Kenya’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry, and Professor Hidetoshi Nishimura, Supreme Advisor to the President of ERIA. Both speakers strongly advocated for integrated, inclusive, and people-centred approaches to sustainable and equitable growth, rooted in circular carbon principles.

ERIA’s Dr Venkatachalam Anbumozhi and Dr Giulia Ajmone Marsan, together with NEPAD officials Mr Zakhele Mdlalose and Mr Vincent Oparah, highlighted how increasingly frequent and severe disasters disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, deepening poverty and inequality. They underscored the need to shift from reactive to ex-ante action – prioritising investments in resilience-building, early warning systems, and accessible pre-arranged financing mechanisms to enable timely and equitable disaster response and recovery. The interactive dialogue with civil society organisations was moderated by Mr Koogan Pillay of V20.

The S20 Summit concluded on 20 November with the formal handover of a comprehensive G20 Social Declaration to President Cyril Ramaphosa. Anchored in the African philosophy of Ubuntu – ‘I am because we are’ – the Declaration called for a fairer, more inclusive multilateral order and articulated priorities across four key areas:
1. Digital Inclusion and Equitable Transformation
2. Climate Justice and a People-Centred Just Transition
3. Reforming Global Finance
4. Accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals

Developed through more than 230 community dialogues and representing the collective priorities of citizens worldwide, the Social Declaration served as the central social-pillar input to the G20 Leaders’ Declaration issued on 23 November.

The Leaders' Declaration explicitly underscored the importance of ‘integrated, inclusive, people-centred, and comprehensive approaches to disaster risk reduction.’ It encouraged the global community – including international financial institutions – to strengthen post-disaster recovery, reconstruction, adaptation, and mitigation. Crucially, the Leaders endorsed the expanded use of affordable, inclusive, and accessible pre-arranged financing mechanisms, directly echoing the S20’s calls for stronger ex-ante preparedness.

In his closing remarks, President Ramaphosa hailed the S20 Summit as a historic and irreversible step toward placing human dignity at the core of global governance. The final G20 Leaders’ Declaration reaffirmed this vision, cementing South Africa’s commitment to genuine ‘Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability’.