B20 Sherpa Update - July 2025
As we edge closer to September and our B20 South Africa submission to the Presidency, I would like to update you on recent developments across our Task Forces and broader stakeholder engagements.
TASK FORCE MOMENTUM
Our Task Forces have entered a critical phase, refining final policy recommendations. Across all eight Task Forces, the priorities remain clear:
We are working on four to five cross-cutting themes from the task force deliberations, which will also reflect priorities developed for the broader G20 grouping of countries.
GLOBAL ENGAGEMENTS AND DIALOGUE
The past month saw active engagement on several global platforms:
4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), Spain: A strong B20 South Africa delegation joined Business at OECD and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to spotlight infrastructure financing and champion private sector solutions for the world's $0.5 trillion annual infrastructure financing gap. Our roundtable on enabling resilient infrastructure shared ideas to de-risk and scale sustainable investments.
BRICS Business Forum, Brazil: I had the opportunity to join this timely conversation. The world is changing, and our voice from the Global South is essential. B20 co-hosted a breakfast with Boston Consulting Group, BRICS Business Council and CNI on the morning of the BRICS Business Summit. We urged our BRICS partners to back inclusive trade, investment and reforms to tackle funding gaps and corruption, because the cost of inaction is too high.
Sanlam B20 South Africa Webinar for Journalists: Debra Mallowah, our Sustainable Food Systems and Agriculture Task Force Chair, and I participated in a webinar for journalists from across the African continent, hosted by Sanlam. The media are critical to holding the business community accountable and in building awareness of our work. We aim to strengthen their ability to report on the G20 and B20 process with clarity and context. By equipping journalists with expert insights, we are fostering more informed coverage of Africa’s place in global economic governance.
Finance & Infrastructure Task Force Side Event: Our B20 task force hosted its inaugural side event on the sidelines of the G20 Finance Track meetings in Durban. The event brought together stakeholders from across sectors, including the South African Minister of Finance, Deputy Chair of the Finance & Infrastructure Task Force Lungisa Fuzile, Chair of the Trade and Investment Task Force Busi Mabuza, Chair of the B20 Energy Mix and Just Transition Task Force Daniel Mminele, Professor Narnia Bohler-Muller from Women20 (W20), and Marc Uzan of the Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee. Their participation reflected a shared commitment to addressing global finance and infrastructure challenges. A sincere thank you to our partners, Standard Bank and Oliver Wyman, without whom this event would not have been possible.
Integrity & Compliance Side Event: In line with the progress across B20 Task Forces, the Integrity and Compliance Task Force, under the leadership of Ruwayda Redfearn, held its kick-off event to engage on what I believe is one of the most foundational issues of our time: integrity in business, and the collective action required to embed it across our systems, cultures and institutions. A heartfelt thank you to the Deloitte and KPMG teams for your effort and collaboration in bringing this together. It is truly appreciated.
We are working on four to five cross-cutting themes from the task force deliberations, which will also reflect priorities developed for the broader G20 grouping of countries.
In June and July, coverage from Bloomberg, CGTN, BRICS TV, 21st Century Business Herald newspaper and other platforms has amplified the work of our Task Forces and leadership. We thank all those helping us carry the message forward.
LOOKING AHEAD
The much-anticipated publication of the final Task Force recommendations to the G20 will take place on Thursday, 4 September. Significant work is underway to incorporate inputs received from across the B20 ecosystem, ensuring the final recommendations are both practical and implementable, aimed at delivering the impact we collectively seek. Further details regarding the announcement will be shared in the coming weeks.
Our next Virtual Media Roundtable with Task Force Chairs takes place on 30 July - another key milestone as we align ahead of the G20 Summit.
OTHER KEY UPCOMING B20 SECRETARIAT ENGAGEMENTS INCLUDE:
G20 Labour and Employment Ministerial Meetings (LEMM), George
B20-IOE High-Level Dinner Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work, on the sidelines of the G20 LEMM, George
Youth 20 (Y20) Summit
Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) and the TICAD Business Expo and Conference
14th World Chambers Congress