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From dependency to empowerment: Africa’s economic future beyond aid

Foreign aid has influenced Africa’s development for decades, weakening economic resilience. South Africa’s G20 presidency presents a chance to boost foreign direct investment and diversify partnerships for greater economic sovereignty.

Image: Unsplash, Michał Parzuchowski

Forging equitable and sustainable development through health diplomacy: Actions and global solidarity in health

Health diplomacy integrates governance, sustainable funding and digital innovation to enhance global health by 2030.

Rethinking agricultural development: Shared responsibility in Brazil’s Matopiba region

The Matopiba region underscores the broader challenges facing the G20 and the urgent need for governance that balances economic interests with environmental and social protections, as local communities contend with deforestation and displacement.

Unlocking sustainable finance: 3 G20 proposals from T20 leaders

The G20 Common Framework must expand its scope to formally include middle-income countries, which increasingly face unsustainable debt burdens.

Connecting the dots between SDGs 8, 9, 10: A G20-led green industrialisation for inclusive growth

Industrial strategies should link economic growth, industry, innovation, and infrastructure while tackling inequalities. The G20 must lead the move toward green industrialisation.

Image: Unsplash, Luiza Braun

Recognising diverse decarbonisation routes: Insights from the Brazilian case on CBAM’s carbon accounting gaps

G20 cooperation can help prevent trade distortions.

Unlocking Africa’s potential: Why foundational learning – reading and math skills –  must be South Africa’s G20 priority

The 2025 South African G20 presidency can advance foundational learning to address Africa’s learning crisis. Guided by the spirit of ubuntu, it should support investments in essential reading and math skills to avoid the future costs of illiteracy.

Image: Unsplash, Anthony Maw

AI and Africa: The unexplored frontier of innovation and inclusivity

South Africa's 2025 presidency highlights Africa's AI potential, shifting focus from global policies to local initiatives that aim to close the AI equity gap and promote inclusive digital transformation.

Revisiting G20 policymaking under fractured geopolitics

To secure a stable and fruitful future for the G20 as a forum for multilateral agreements and commitments, the goals of the G20 will need to adapt to the recent, dramatic fracturing of geopolitical relations. This piece spells out three ...

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Proposals for reforming the international financial architecture in a polarised world

The G20 should address reform challenges during South Africa's presidency, as ongoing geopolitical tensions obstruct global cooperation and complicate efforts to revamp the international financial architecture.

Image: Unsplash, Gavin Li

The quiet disruption: Trade, multilateralism and the reconfiguration of global cooperation

The slow recovery from the global financial crisis, growing inequality, the inability of institutions like the World Trade Organization to transform their mandates and rising geopolitical competition all contributed to a gradual loss of faith in multilateralism.

Reducing inequality by preventing disaster-induced poverty through adaptive social protection

With disasters becoming more frequent and severe, G20 countries need to reduce poverty and address inequality. Linking social safety nets to disaster risk management can protect vulnerable groups and promote resilience.

Image: Unsplash, Siavosh Hosseini

Revitalising ECOSOC, advancing the SDGs: Why the G20 matters now

The world cannot afford to miss another chance. The G20 must rise to the challenge and help shape a renewed multilateralism based on equity, solidarity and resilience.

Image: Getty, Deepak Kumar

Harnessing the potential of community-driven groundwater management in the Global South: Experiences and recommendations

The G20 water platform provides an opportunity to share best practices, highlighting the need for collaboration among ministries and effective governance to achieve water security.

Bridging the connectivity gap: The role of tax incentives in digital inclusion

The G20 should prioritise digital inclusion to enhance social integration and innovation in the Global South, using tax incentives to support this goal.

Image: Unsplash, Road Ahead

Transforming agri-food systems for deep sustainability: A G20 action plan for SDG acceleration

The G20, representing top nations, can promote digitalisation in agri-food systems under South Africa's leadership to boost cooperation.

Image: Unsplash, Noby George

An equity lens on food prices

Food prices sit at the intersection of equity and sustainability and the G20 has a role to play in ensuring fair price for produce and labour.

Image: Unsplash, Basma Alghali

Integrating ESG principles into debt management and restructuring frameworks in highly indebted countries: A policy roadmap for the G20

Integrating ESG principles into debt management is a transformative shift towards resilience, sustainability and equity.