South Africa’s push for a permanent Y20 council met strong resistance, exposing divisions on climate, gender and technology and leaving the forum without a final communiqué
For the first time in 14 years, the G20 youth engagement group (Y20) closed its summit last week without issuing a communiqué — the set of recommendations that usually feeds into a declaration by world leaders at their annual summit, this year being hosted in Johannesburg in November.
In June, the Y20 submitted a communique with a commitment on multilateralism and national sovereignty. Discussions stalled when South Africa, which holds the G20 presidency, proposed a permanent Y20 council to enhance accountability.
South Africa’s G20 presidency has been rocky, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio boycotting a foreign ministers’ meeting in February over what he called anti-American values while President Donald Trump signalled his intention to not attend the November summit.
Y20 officials conceded that the lack of a final communique is a break in precedent, but said they hoped it signalled a commitment to “credible outcomes rather than symbolic gestures and empty words without material shifts in the priorities that young people raise year after year”.
“While the communiqué could not be finalised, South Africa will continue to work with other G20 engagement groups in the build-up to the G20 social summit, maintaining the bridges of dialogue, collaboration, and shared purpose,” Y20 chairperson Raymond Matlala said.
He said South Africa stood firm on the principles of inclusiveness and diversity, which had guided the discussions.
A major sticking point was South Africa’s push for the creation of the Y20 council — a permanent mechanism designed to ensure continuity, implementation and monitoring of policy recommendations that have accumulated over the past 14 years with limited effect.
Y20 officials said the council aimed to guarantee that “voices of young people are not only heard but translated into action and implementation”.
“Once it became clear that the proposal was not supported unanimously, South Africa attempted to reopen negotiations in good faith. However, there was strong pushback from other member states, who went so far as to call for a vote — creating a precedent that may shape the way all future deliberations unfold within the Y20,” the Y20 statement read.
Opposition to the council came from several G7 members such as the US, United Kingdom, European Union as well as Turkey and Saudi Arabia, who objected to institutionalising youth participation and mainstreaming youth issues in the G20.
In a final attempt at consensus, South Africa, supported by Japan, proposed extending negotiations virtually after the summit, citing the limited time available for heads of delegations to meet. This proposal was voted down by Turkey, the UK, the US, the EU and Saudi Arabia.
Y20 delegate Lerai Rakoditsoe told the Mail & Guardian that not having a communiqué “is a serious setback — it’s the main deliverable that normally captures the collective voice of youth” but added that this does not mean the work disappears.
“This outcome forces a kind of honesty. It shows the limits of the current model, where youth are asked to deliver recommendations but don’t always have structures to ensure follow-through,” Rakoditsoe said to M&G, adding that the choice was between releasing another symbolic communiqué that stripped out accountability measures, or standing firm on meaningful youth engagement.
“By refusing to compromise on that point, South Africa highlighted the deeper problem: without structures for continuity, youth engagement risks remaining performative,” she said.
Rakoditsoe said the outcome puts pressure on leaders to recognise that young people are demanding real reform, not just ceremonial inclusion.
“That tension is uncomfortable, but it’s also exactly the kind of pressure that can move systems forward,” she said.
Delegates said the breakdown was on which words should be used to build consensus in recommendations. Hlengiwe Mtetwa, a Y20 delegate on artificial intelligence (AI), digital innovation, education and the future of work, said education, infrastructure and monitoring were the most contentious issues in her track.
“In our discussions, several topics proved difficult to reach consensus on. Education was one of them, especially around how to balance the integration of emerging technologies into curricula while ensuring that human development, especially at a foundational level, where personal attributes and characteristics, values and morals remain central,” Mtetwa told M&G..
She said divisions also emerged on infrastructure, with Global North countries that already had robust technological systems clashing with Global South nations that did not.
“Regulation was equally as complex, as countries with advanced AI ecosystems and regulatory frameworks often favoured innovation-led approaches, whereas others emphasised safeguards and protections but highlighted that overregulation could stifle innovation,” Mtetwa said.
Delegates also disagreed on monitoring mechanisms, including which international bodies should serve as reference points. On ethical AI development, the deadlock centred on whose cultural and societal frameworks should guide global standards.
Andile Mnguni, a delegate for the climate track, said the precise wording on fossil fuels, and the nexus of women, peace and security proved especially difficult.
“We [South Africa] steered toward language that keeps ambition and feasibility together; transitioning away, accelerating the phasedown of unabated coal and removing inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies, because communities can’t be asked to choose between climate integrity and keeping the lights on,” Mnguni told the M&G.
She said South Africa sought outcomes that prioritised safety, participation and protection for vulnerable groups, while acknowledging that some delegations did not legally recognise the full spectrum of gender identities.
South Africa resisted language restricting climate-debt treatments to a single creditor channel, because this undermined comparability and the scale Africa needs, Mnguni said.
South Africa’s line remained consistent, she added. “Keep the multilateral centre of gravity, land text that can be implemented, and never lose sight of the lived realities we’re meant to serve; especially for young people, Africa and the emerging economies of the Global South.”