Y20 South Africa 2025 aims to empower young leaders to shape global policies that reflect the priorities of youth. They will collaborate within five dedicated working groups, focusing their expertise on the following critical themes.
South Africa’s G20 Presidency in 2025 offers a pivotal moment to reinforce the country’s legacy of global climate leadership, established during COP17 in Durban in 2011. That conference marked a critical step toward the Paris Agreement by introducing the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action, setting a global precedent for unified climate action. With climate change and environmental sustainability as a focal theme for the Y20 Summit, South Africa aims to build on this foundation, advancing a Just Energy Transition and prioritising climate resilience across the African continent.
South Africa’s unique role as a biodiversity hotspot and a nation heavily reliant on natural resources makes climate change a pressing issue, especially for the youth. As they face the realities of rising temperatures, drought, and ecological strain, young Africans are acutely aware of the need for balanced solutions that protect the environment while supporting socio-economic growth. This theme addresses both global and regional environmental challenges by placing African needs and perspectives at the centre of the climate dialogue.
The Y20 theme of Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability will provide youth delegates with a platform to advocate for and champion equitable climate policies that recognise Africa’s limited contribution to global emissions and its disproportionate vulnerability to climate impacts. Focusing on sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and conservation, the theme aims to generate actionable, youth-led recommendations for resilience-building across Africa.
Youth delegates will bring fresh insights to the Y20 agenda, advocating for resource equity, biodiversity preservation, and an inclusive Just Energy Transition that ensures energy access and economic stability. This approach aligns with South Africa’s G20 presidency priorities and positions African youth as essential voices in global climate action, reinforcing the continent’s role as a key stakeholder in the pursuit of a sustainable, inclusive future.
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Economic disparities and youth unemployment remain pressing global challenges. The Y20 will advocate for policies that create decent work, foster innovation, and ensure that economic opportunities are accessible to all, particularly in underrepresented regions and communities. The focus will be on supporting job creation in emerging industries, such as technology, manufacturing, and the green and blue economies, while equipping young people with future-ready skills. Addressing wage disparities, systemic inequalities, and barriers to entrepreneurship will be central to achieving truly inclusive economic growth. It also aligns with the South Africa’s G20 presidency priority to drive equitable development and improve regional employment outcomes.
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This theme reflects the South Africa G20 presidency priority emphasis on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Innovation, and the future workforce, focusing on bridging digital divides, fostering AI education, and preparing youth for future jobs. The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital technology is reshaping the global economy. The Y20 will highlight the importance of equipping youth with digital literacy, fostering AI education, and addressing the ethical challenges of emerging technologies. By ensuring inclusive access to technological advancements, young people can drive innovation while mitigating risks such as job displacement, digital divides, and ethical concerns in AI. A human-centered approach to AI development and governance will be prioritized.
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Youth engagement in multilateralism, including global economic reform and financial equity will drive South Africa’s advocacy for a fairer international system, in line with the aspirations agreed to within the United Nations Pact for the Future and annexed Declaration on Future Generation. This theme centres on providing youth a platform to voice needs, expectations and perspectives on international development, cooperation and economic policy.
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Building on South Africa’s G20 presidency priorities of food security, health, and inequality reduction, this theme aims to tackle intersectional social disparities such as, poverty, healthcare accessibility and gender equality within African contexts, promoting community-driven social development and inclusive policies. With the United Nations hosting the second World Summit for Social Development in November 2025, it is imperative that young people from Africa and the Global South, in particular, have their voices and perspectives elevated through the Y20 focus within this theme and the expected outcome document. In addition, 2025 marks 30 years since the adoption of the Beijing declaration and programme of action, a historical moment for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. The Y20 programme will develop a cohesive strategy to align and support the W20 engagement group to ensure the voices and perspectives of young women and girls in their diversity are amplified through both of these engagement groups.
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