2025 G20 Summit: What Happened, and What is It?

By Aditi Jain

This year the G20 Summit took place from November 22nd to 23rd in Johannesburg, South Africa. For the first time ever, this conference took place on the Africa subcontinent. But what even is the G20 Summit? 

This is an annual event that first started in 2008 where the leaders from the 19 most powerful economies plus the EU and African Union come together to discuss pressing economic and global issues. The conference being held in South Africa is a significant development and symbolizes a more inclusive approach to global issues. 

One of the glaring issues within the UN has always been the gap between the developing and developed countries. However, the location of this conference shows more priority being given to priorities of the African subcontinent and the global south in general. 

This increasing inclusivity is also displayed in the topics that were discussed as the theme was Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability. Given this theme, one of the main points discussed was inclusive economic growth which focused on reducing inequality. This emphasis on developing countries can also be seen by the leaders approval of the “Ubuntu Approaches," which primarily involves a more community based solution and in the context of the summit it was primarily discussed as a way to support smallholder farms in order to increase food security.