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JOHANNESBURG - Deputy President Paul Mashatile has formally received the outcomes of the G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit, known as the P20, marking a key moment of coordination between Parliament and the Executive as South Africa leads the G20 this year.
The P20 handover connects Parliament’s democratic voice to South Africa’s leadership of the G20. It ensures that when President Ramaphosa leads the G20 Summit, he carries not only government policy, but also the priorities of ordinary people. These include transparency, inclusion, gender equality, youth empowerment, skills, and sustainable development.
The handover, held at Parliament this week, captures resolutions from the P20 Summit, hosted on African soil for the first time in Kleinmond in October. Mashatile, who accepted the report in his capacity as Leader of Government Business, also received declarations from women and young parliamentarians, as well as the SAI20 Communiqué from the Auditor-General.
The SAI20 is an official engagement group of the G20 that brings together the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) from G20 member countries. It serves as a forum for heads of SAIs to discuss how they can support the G20 agenda by providing oversight and promoting accountability for G20 commitments and initiatives.
Together, the documents handed to Mashatile call for stronger transparency, gender-responsive governance, inclusive growth, investment in skills and infrastructure, and greater inclusion of youth in policy making.
Upon receiving the documents, Mashatile described the documents as “a roadmap for action”. “These instruments collectively represent the strength of multilateral engagement and the depth of democratic legitimacy within the G20 process.
They ensure that the voices of oversight institutions, parliaments, women, and youth are not only heard but embedded in the architecture of global governance,” he said.
Mashatile said the SAI20 Communiqué emphasised the role of accountability and transparency in public life. He noted that its recommendations on unlocking infrastructure funding and bridging the skills gap aligned with South Africa’s G20 Presidency theme: Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability.
Mashatile also reflected on the significance of the declarations from the P20’s women and youth meetings.
“These two declarations are not side documents… They ensure that parliamentary solidarity encompasses gendered experiences and generational justice, not just in theory, but in practice.”
The Joint Declaration of the 2nd P20 Meeting of Women Parliamentarians called for gender-responsive legislation, inclusive budgeting, and equal representation in areas such as climate, energy, finance, and digital transformation.
The inaugural P20 Meeting of Young Parliamentarians, meanwhile, highlighted the need for future-proof development, including legislation to close the digital divide and using digital platforms for youth engagement. The youth platform also called for meaningful participation of young people in law-making and oversight.
Looking ahead, Mashatile said next week’s G20 Social Summit in Ekurhuleni will build on these foundations by giving voice to grassroots movements and community networks. “Its Declaration will be handed directly to President Ramaphosa as Chair of the G20, an authentic message from the people of the world.”
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The P20 report and accompanying declarations will form part of South Africa’s official contribution to the upcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit, to be hosted in Johannesburg on 22 and 23 November.
Mashatile said the documents reflect the Presidency’s theme and reaffirm South Africa’s commitment to an inclusive global agenda. “Our responsibility is to ensure that this Summit is inclusive, equitable, and reflects the lived realities of those too often excluded from decisions of global importance… Let us view these documents not as the end of a process, but as the beginning of renewed collaboration, transforming principles into measurable progress for all,” said Mashatile.