ISI participates in the 2025 T20 Summit: 13–14 November 2025: Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg

The Inclusive Society Institute (ISI) proudly participated in the 2025 Think20 (T20) Summit, held in Sandton, Johannesburg, the first T20 Summit convened on African soil under South Africa’s G20 Presidency. Represented by CEO Daryl Swanepoel, the Institute contributed to deliberations aimed at shaping policy recommendations for G20 leaders on matters of global governance, digital transformation, sustainable development financing and multilateral reform.

Mr Swanepoel also participated in his official capacity as Co-Lead of T20 Task Force 4, which focused on Solidarity for the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This task force’s mandate, as reflected in the T20 South Africa Communique, included strengthening global cooperation, addressing persistent inequalities and ensuring that SDG implementation reflects the developmental priorities of the Global South.

Overview of the Summit

The two-day summit gathered global experts, academics, think-tank leaders, policymakers and multilateral actors. The sessions, as outlined in the official programme, covered a broad spectrum of strategic issues including global governance reform, WTO modernisation, digital public infrastructure, MDB reform, food system resilience, climate transitions and post-2030 development frameworks.

Key themes emerging from Summit discussions included:

• Revitalising Global Governance

Discussions emphasised the need to strengthen multilateral cooperation amid fragmentation and geopolitical rivalry. The opening plenaries explored how the G20 can reinforce institutional legitimacy and act as a bridge-builder across regions and sectors.

• Digital public infrastructure, AI and digital sovereignty

Sessions highlighted that digital transformation must be human-centred and rights-based, with Africa’s perspectives integrated into global conversations on data governance, e-governance and artificial intelligence.

• Trade system reform and inclusive growth

The summit reinforced the urgency of WTO reform to address modern trade realities, including digital trade regulations, subsidy regimes and the participation of developing economies in global value chains.

• Financing for sustainable development

Several plenaries positioned international financial architecture reform, including MDB capital expansion, debt restructuring innovations and fairer global tax rules, as essential components of a transition to a more equitable global economy. These themes strongly intersected with the policy areas covered by ISI’s ongoing research.

• Climate action and energy transitions

The programme featured discussions on green industrialisation, green minerals, disaster resilience and whole-of-society transitions, an area of high relevance to South Africa’s just transition agenda.

ISI’s contribution through Task Force 4

As Co-Lead of T20 Task Force 4: Solidarity for the Achievement of the SDGs, Mr Swanepoel played a strategic role in shaping the task force's intellectual agenda and final recommendations to the G20.

Task Force 4’s focus areas included:

• Advancing social protection systems

• Strengthening global solidarity and equity

• Addressing intersecting crises such as poverty, inequality and climate vulnerability

• Ensuring that SDG delivery frameworks remain responsive to Global South priorities

• The task force’s contributions were incorporated into the final 2025 T20 Communique presented at the Summit.

Strategic importance for South Africa and the Global South

ISI’s participation ensured that South African civil society and research voices were strongly represented in shaping the global agenda. The Summit highlighted:

• Africa’s growing leadership within the G20 system

• The need for inclusive and just global policy frameworks

• The importance of South-South cooperation, reflected in contributions from India, Brazil and other emerging powers

• The G20’s unique opportunity to address systemic inequities affecting developing nations

Reflections and way forward

The Summit reinforced the urgency of building a more equitable and sustainable global development model. As ISI continues its work across governance, development and multilateral reform, insights from the T20 process will directly inform the Institute’s policy positions, research outputs and domestic and international engagements.

The ISI will remain an active contributor to:

• Ongoing SDG implementation strategies

• National and regional dialogues on global governance reform

• South Africa’s broader contributions to the G20 Presidency’s legacy

• Strengthened collaboration with international think-tank networks

Conclusion

The Inclusive Society Institute’s participation in the T20 Summit reflects its expanding role as a thought leader in South Africa’s national policy discourse and its growing footprint in global policy networks. Through its leadership in Task Force 4 and engagement across summit platforms, the ISI has contributed meaningfully to shaping the G20’s development agenda during a historic African presidency.