South Africa’s G20 leadership: An opportunity to drive an inclusive future through values

Each year, the G20 convenes as the steward of the global economic order. But, increasingly, its declarations ring hollow against the backdrop of planetary upheaval and public disillusionment. The forum remains rooted in a growth-first orthodoxy, even as new paradigms — ecological economics, regenerative development, participatory governance — begin to reshape the conversation. Is the G20 listening? There is a sense that it might be speaking only to itself.

But this year, something is different. In 2025, for the first time, an African nation — South Africa — is at the helm. And from this position, there is the possibility of a quiet but radical challenge to the way things have been done for decades. The vehicle for this challenge is the Values 20 (V20), a G20 group with a deceptively simple mission — to argue that human values must be the foundation of public policy.

While the G20 focuses on economic coordination, the V20 emphasises ethical alignment and societal impact, reminding policymakers that values drive behaviour and should therefore be central to any policy that seeks to be sustainable and inclusive

The V20’s theme under South Africa’s leadership is Living Values: Enabling Solidarity, Equality and Sustainable Development, which aligns closely with the country’s broader G20 agenda to build a more inclusive and prosperous Africa and world, ensuring no one is left behind. The V20 South Africa campaign is built on five foundational values: ubuntu (shared humanity), dignity, equity, ethical governance and  integrity, as well as agency and accountability.

In a world dominated by radical individualism, these values appear almost revolutionary. They hint at a philosophy that sees our humanity not in our separateness but in our interconnectedness. Ubuntu, for example, posits that individual well-being is inseparable from the well-being of the community and the environment. Imagine, for a moment, if this were one of the guiding principles for global economic policy, rather than the cold calculus of GDP and shareholder returns.

Where global capitalism has often demanded conformity, this framework calls for dignity. Where the G20 has seemingly exacerbated inequality and tolerated corruption in the pursuit of profit, V20 demands equity and insists on ethical governance.

Of course, it is easy to be cynical. The G20 is littered with the forgotten communiqués of well-meaning engagement groups. But there is a seriousness of purpose here that is hard to dismiss. The V20 is being steered by some of South Africa’s most respected moral leaders, including its “sherpa” Professor Bonang Mohale, a values-driven business leader; social justice champion Professor Thuli Madonsela; Nolitha Fakude, chair of Anglo American’s South African board, and Archbishop Thabo Makgoba. These are not figures who lend their names lightly to talk-fests.

Crucially, the aim is to place evidence-based policy recommendations that challenge existing paradigms before G20 leaders. The involvement of institutions such as Henley Business School Africa signals a growing recognition, even among the stewards of the global economic order, that capitalism must adapt to survive. The question is no longer whether markets can generate wealth but whether they can do so within planetary boundaries and social contracts. Leaders are likely to be increasingly called upon to shape a model that values resilience over extraction, regeneration over exploitation.

While no magic wand, the V20 offers us a different lens through which to see our global challenges and a different language in which to articulate our hopes. It makes the audacious claim that solidarity, equality and sustainability are not obstacles to prosperity, but the only possible route to it. In a world desperately short of new ideas, this is a proposition we can no longer afford to ignore.

The Values 20 South Africa Summit will be held in Cape Town on 16 and 17 October. V20 was launched in 2020 as a global community of values experts and practitioners aiming to engage with the G20 to integrate values into public policy.Jon Foster-Pedley is dean and director of Henley Business School Africa and associate Pro-South Africa’s G20 leadership: An opportunity to drive an inclusive future through valuesice Chancellor (Global Engagement – Sub-Saharan Africa) at the University of Reading in the UK. Monde Ndlovu is the managing director of the Black Management Forum and V20 advocacy equality lead.