From classroom to real life - policy in action

Lutfiyya Dean, a Master of Management student at the Wits School of Governance represented South Africa at the Brazil G20 Youth Summit in 2024. In light of, South Africa’s G20 Presidency this year, Dean reflected on her experience in Brazil.

Firstly, as a student what did it mean to you to represent South Africa at the Brazil G20 Youth Summit?

LD: As a student and youth leader in South Africa, representing our skills, expertise and talent on a global stage whilst uplifting the voices of the marginalised communities is at the core of my work as an activist and researcher. It was as a pivotal moment for me, as the Head of Delegation,  in defining my journey in advocacy, it solidified my belief that young South Africans are indeed the trailblazers and current leaders of developing countries trajectories. 
I began my journey with an application to the South African Youth in Diplomacy). South African Youth for International Diplomacy (SAYID) is the local organising committee for the Y7, Y20, BRICS C Euro-BRICS youth summits. This process involved thorough research, extensive networking, delving into policy analysis as well as robust debate and negotiations. 
The G20 Youth Forum was a platform for young individuals to network, learn and more importantly to shape the socio-economic policies and contribute to the G20 governments objectives and vision. This journey defined that governance and policy work is for the greater good of society, it is about intricately crafting policies and programmes that integrate various stakeholders and voices of society with the aim of catering to development, equality and all intersectional needs whilst engaging in diplomacy and institutional knowledge.
I formally joined the SAYID leadership team as the Head of Media engagements to ensure that I can continue to assist young individuals with passion and drive to grow and participate in important seating like this alongside the wealth of leadership within SAYID (Hannah Hopper: Chairperson;  Oshea Roopnarian: Secretary General and Curtleigh Alaart: Head of Stakeholder engagements)

You were there to propose challenges on key governance challenges – what was your focus?
 

LD: I served in the Inclusion and diversity track - central themes of the summit – which focused on reflecting the cultural and demographic richness of the participants. The G20 youth emphasised the importance of ensuring that all voices are heard and that global policies are fair and representative of diverse global experiences and perspectives. I emphasised South Africa’s cultural richness and spirit of ubuntu as well as our unique challenges. The key focus areas for my policy contributions to the G20 Youth forum were period poverty as well as decolonising education.
With regard to period poverty, we advocated that all G20 countries through policy changes:
•    Subsidise menstrual product access to guarantee menstrual dignity while empowering communities through public policies and public-private partnerships focused on tangible outcomes. 
•    We also called for sharing best practices and innovative solutions (eg. reusable products and sustainable packaging). 
•    We advocated  for implementing culturally sensitive active action plans to end period poverty and stigmatisation. 
•    To ensure fully/partially subsidies on menstrual products, members must consider individual financial capacities. In the case of this policy Menstrual Products refers to all applicable hygiene materials, such as pads (reusable and disposable), reusable menstrual cups, etc. that are used to catch menstrual flow. Family planning is defined as the information, means, and methods that allow families to freely decide if and when to have children. 
The policy area that focused on decolonial education stated that G20 governments are to work toward decolonising the curricula by integrating accurate cultural, historical, and indigenous perspectives, addressing systemic racism, and fostering intercultural competencies. This includes enforcing policies that prohibit religious and cultural discrimination and ensuring accessibility by accommodating individual needs.
Overall, my policies strived to incorporate pivotal issues that require systematic and structural change to empower marginalised groups of society as well as to positively contribute to South Africa’s social and economic development.
 

Talk us through the format, what did you do, key interesting people you met?

LD: The G20 Youth Forum consists of a series of engagements such as the pre-summit, bilateral meetings, formal and informal negotiations. From the onset of selection as a delegate, I engaged in research and policy drafting within my assigned track- Inclusion and Diversity, alongside leading the South African delegates as well as communicating with all G20 Youth Forum member delegations as well as observer countries.

Between 12 and 16 August  2024, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, youth representatives from G20 member countries, along with representatives from invited countries and observers, gathered for the Youth 20 (Y20), one of the most significant engagement groups of the G20. We undertook a collective effort across five policy tracks to develop the following proposals to represent youth and urge G20 leaders to adopt these proposals. The topics discussed included climate change, sustainable development, and energy transition; innovation and the future of work; reform of the global governance system; inclusion and diversity; and combating hunger, poverty, and inequality. The selection of these topics by the Brazilian presidency reflects a strategy of high relevance and impact, aligned with global priorities and the pressing needs of contemporary society. The process indeed required robust debate and thorough research as the finalisation of the 2024- Communiqué.

It was my privilege and honour to represent South Africa as part of the troika alongside Minister Márcio Macedonia , of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of  Brazil.  

Did this experience meet your expectations?

LD: The depths of research, the richness of negotiations, the involvement of civil society and heads of the Brazilian state departments was overwhelmingly positive. It was refreshing to witness the commitment of youth from all G20 member states in ensuring that their youth constituency voices were accelerated and that the final communiqué represented the needs of their local communities and marginalised groups.
The process was characterised by careful consideration and meticulous effort to achieve optimal results. It was inspiring to witness Brazil, a BRICS nation, take the lead in such a significant youth initiative that drives global change.
As a WSG student, why do you think SA hosting this year will be crucial for the country?
Hosting the G20 is important as it allows for South Africa to showcase global leadership despite our harsh history. It enables us to strengthen diplomatic ties in line with our great spirit of ubuntu. It ensures that as a developing country we are afforded an opportunity to contribute to addressing global challenges through our experience of inculcating diversity and cultural richness. It offers economic benefits through encouraging multilateral cooperation across all spheres of society and through various working groups such as the Y20. This is a prestigious moment for South Africa to strengthen its global presence and to ensure that we pave a path forward for a positive future socioeconomically.

Was there any focus on higher education challenges last year?
 

LD: Higher Education was a crucial cross-cutting policy as it occurred in the Inclusion and Diversity track and the Innovation and the Future of Work track. Higher education is a crucial element when discussing challenges that directly impact the youth of various countries therefore, it was developed as a policy proposal in both tracks. Higher education was emphasised in conjunction uplifting the youth through skills development and employability to provide targeted, practical-oriented principles, competencies and techniques to ensure that graduate unemployment levels can decline. The core focus was also to ensure that the gates to access higher education be opened equally and in a decolonial manner.

You are an advocate for more women’s voices in policy formulation and leadership: What needs to happen more for this to be a reality and will you get involved in any of the civic spaces at G20?
 

LD: Women are at the core of the development of society, policy formulation and implementation in regard to women empowerment and involvement remains crucial. To heighten meaningful and inclusive engagement, it is mandatory that within the G20 and its working groups, more women researchers, heads of delegations as well as women led civil society groups are incorporated in the 2025 G20 space. 
 

Additionally, the communiqué produced by the Y20 must include intersectional challenges that women face and the consultations and recognition by the G20 heads need to be purposeful and invested in financially. Through the development of a funding structure the government can strive towards the implementation of programmes that seek to uplift and economically empower women. The South African government can spearhead the G20 member states to invest in their civil society women led organisations  to mitigate GBV and femicide.