G20 Summit declaration calls for urgent action on inequalities in the Global South

The 20th G20 Summit, the first held in Africa, took place over two days in Johannesburg, South Africa, under the theme 'Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability.' World leaders adopted the Leaders' Declaration, reaching consensus on disaster resilience, debt sustainability, just energy transitions, and critical minerals. The declaration highlights how increasingly frequent and intense disasters undermine sustainable development and strain response systems, calling for integrated, people-centered approaches to build resilience, especially for vulnerable small island developing states and least developed countries. On energy, it addresses stark inequalities, noting over 600 million Africans lack electricity access, and supports tripling global renewable capacity and doubling energy-efficiency improvements by 2030. Leaders emphasized mobilizing investments, low-cost financing for developing nations, and voluntary technology transfers on mutually agreed terms. Regarding critical minerals, the G20 endorsed a voluntary Critical Minerals Framework to promote sustainable, transparent, and resilient value chains that drive industrialization and development, stressing that resources should enable value-addition and inclusive growth rather than mere raw exports, while affirming producing countries' rights to their endowments. Overall, the declaration underscores the need for coordinated, equitable global responses to shared challenges.