Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

24 June 2025

2-minute read

C20 (Civil 20) is a civil society initiative that advocates for the active involvement of civil society in shaping the decisions made by the G20. It was formed ahead of the G20 summit taking place in SA in less than 6 months’ time and was launched at the Capital in Sandton over the weekend. Comprising of 14 diverse working groups, the C20 prioritises people to people interaction, women and gender equity, solidarity, the youth, poverty alleviation, food sustainability, democratic governance, civic space, anti-corruption, access to health and education, climate justice, persons with disabilities, faith-based organizations, and human rights.

Citing the reason for the formation of the group, spokesperson Thulani Tshefuta mentioned that the engagement group on civil society was established in 2013 as a platform for the various sectors of society to voice their concerns and influence the policies that impact their communities. “The conversation around the table is not complete until the voice of the people is heard,” he emphasized.

Each established working group will continue to meet to process the policy proposals to be formed into a policy brief. Each groups policy brief will then be consolidated into a policy pack that government must take into consideration before it is summarised into a declaration.

Lead government negotiators from each of the G20 countries will be meeting in Sun City over the next few days, where the C20 will be given a chance to share their ideas on the shape of the policy thinking leading up to the end of the year. The C20’s own working group will attend and “seek to influence the meetings and the decisions of the government,” alongside a massive program of community engagement, to “solicit ideas from the people.”

Listen to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat and Thulani Tshefuta.