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The report argues that current multilateral governance frameworks—including WTO rules, Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) clauses, and biased financial risk models—systematically restrict the 'policy space' for developing countries to pursue sustainable industrialization. It highlights that while advanced economies historically used industrial policy to develop, current global norms 'kick away the ladder' for the Global South. The authors call for a 'transformational multilateralism' that reasserts the legitimacy of state-led industrial strategies, reforms restrictive trade and investment treaties, expands access to technology through a 'Global Technology Commons,' and addresses the 'penalisation of poverty' in global finance to enable a just and green transition.

The document argues that while the South African government frames social grant fraud as a problem caused by beneficiaries, data indicates that the most significant fraud is perpetrated by state officials and predatory third parties. It criticizes the National Treasury and SASSA for implementing automated monitoring and verification tools—such as risk algorithms, bank account checks, and biometric verification—which the author claims are ineffective and lead to the wrongful exclusion of thousands of eligible poor, elderly, and disabled people.

The document examines fraud within South Africa's social grant system, asserting that while the government focuses on monitoring and excluding poor recipients through automated systems and strict eligibility checks, the most significant fraud is perpetrated by government officials and external contractors. It details various types of fraud, including internal corruption, identity theft, and illegal loan schemes, and criticizes the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) for using flawed algorithms and biometric verification that create barriers for the most vulnerable populations.

The G20 is assessed as an effective tool for short-term macroeconomic crisis response but a failure in delivering structural economic justice. While it mobilised trillions during the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, it has consistently prioritised creditor interests and market stability over the needs of the Global South. The report highlights systemic failures in international financial architecture reform, sovereign debt restructuring, and climate finance, where funding remains insufficient and skewed toward profitable mitigation. However, recent Global South presidencies (Indonesia, India, Brazil, and South Africa) have successfully introduced new priorities, such as taxing the super-rich and the care economy. The authors recommend that the G20 redefine 'crisis' to include social and ecological threats and adopt justice-based metrics for success.

The report details a workshop held in October 2025 to align various food system stakeholders—including farm workers, informal traders, and small-scale farmers—with the requirements of South Africa's Climate Change Act (CCA). It argues that current top-down climate responses, such as the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Plan (CCAMP), reinforce corporate agricultural models and fail to address structural inequalities. The workshop proposes an alternative paradigm based on agroecology, redistributive land reform, and a just transition that integrates labour rights and community agency. It outlines specific policy entry points within the CCA, such as the National Adaptation Strategy and Plan (NASP) and Sector Adaptation Plans, and provides a coordinated action plan for civil society engagement through 2026.

The document argues that South Africa's National Treasury is incorrectly relying on austerity and claims of high statutory tax rates to justify limited public spending. It suggests that the government can increase revenue by implementing wealth taxes, recouping illicit financial flows, and reducing tax expenditures for high-income individuals and corporations. It specifically highlights the gap between statutory and effective tax rates for companies and the potential for the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) to lower borrowing costs.

The document is a formal letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa calling for systemic changes to global debt restructuring and sustainability. The authors argue that current G20 mechanisms, such as the Common Framework, are inadequate and that African nations face an 'African premium' in borrowing costs. They propose several specific interventions, including a UN Framework Convention on sovereign debt, the creation of an African Credit Rating Agency, and the sale of IMF gold reserves to fund debt relief.

The document analyzes the South African Climate Change Act as a framework for transforming the food system, which contributes approximately 20% of national emissions and is highly vulnerable to climate shocks. It identifies specific legal avenues—such as the National Adaptation Strategy and Plan (NASP), municipal climate response plans, and the Presidential Climate Commission—where farmers, workers, and civil society can intervene to promote agroecology, land rights, and food price stability. The author emphasizes that while the Act provides the legal framework, it does not guarantee funding or specific ground-level obligations, making active public participation essential to ensure a 'just transition' that protects vulnerable groups including women, youth, and smallholder farmers.

The IEJ welcomes the conclusion of the G20 Task Force on Food Security, which focused on systemic drivers of hunger such as food price volatility, speculative market behavior, and climate shocks. The statement advocates for the implementation of buffer stocks, public food stock holdings, and agroecological approaches to build climate resilience and ensure food affordability. It highlights that 673 million people globally were impacted by hunger in 2024, with a significant rise in Africa. The IEJ, acting as a Resource Partner, emphasizes that the right to food must be central to global governance and that structural reforms should prioritize equity and the needs of smallholder farmers and low-income households.

The National Treasury has instructed the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) to reduce the number of social grant recipients through strict verification procedures, such as facial recognition and bank account checks, to protect the fiscus. The Institute for Economic Justice reports that similar procedures for the R370 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant resulted in up to 90% of applicants being wrongly rejected. This occurs against a backdrop of rising food insecurity, with the proportion of households experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity increasing from 16% in 2019 to 20% in 2023, and child poverty rising from 55.6% in 2019 to 69.9% in 2022. To address this, advocates propose a Universal Basic Income (UBI) for all working-age adults, financed by additional taxation on the wealthy, to stimulate the economy and ensure redistributive justice.

The framework, co-produced with COSATU, argues that South Africa's transition must be treated as a public good to avoid the risks of private financing, such as increased inequality and higher energy costs. It advocates for an 'eco-socialism' approach and suggests specific financial mechanisms, including a Climate Response Fund and the reorientation of Development Finance Institutions, to ensure the transition creates jobs and reduces poverty.

The policy brief asserts that G20 nations, responsible for three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions, have stalled progress on phasing out oil and gas due to continued subsidies and economic dependence. It identifies South Africa's 2025 G20 presidency as a critical opportunity to champion subsidy reform and affordable finance for the Global South. The author proposes a framework for progress including clear phase-out targets, the redirection of fossil fuel subsidies toward renewables, and the establishment of a shared definition of a just transition.

The report argues that G20 countries are locked into oil and gas systems due to economic, geopolitical, and institutional factors, despite climate commitments. It highlights a contradiction where G20 nations are on track to produce and consume more than twice the fossil fuels permitted under a 1.5°C pathway. The document analyzes the role of National Oil Companies (NOCs), the limitations of carbon capture and storage (CCS), and the regressive nature of fossil fuel subsidies. It proposes a 'Just Transition Taxonomy' to ensure the phase-out protects workers and marginalized communities, particularly in the Global South, and recommends legislating national phase-out plans and redirecting subsidies toward renewable energy.

The document examines food price volatility in South Africa, attributing it to climate change, global shocks, and corporate market concentration. It proposes a phased implementation of public buffer stocks—beginning with white maize and expanding to wheat and indigenous grains—to protect vulnerable households and support smallholder farmers. The authors suggest that such a system, if governed transparently and linked to agroecological practices, could eventually integrate into a regional SADC mechanism to strengthen food sovereignty across Southern Africa.

The fact sheet advocates for Universal Social Protection Floors to ensure global access to basic healthcare and income security. It notes that nearly 29% of the global population faces hunger and over 575 million people are projected to live in extreme poverty by 2030. The text details the G20's history with social protection, including Indonesia's 'adaptive social protection' and Brazil's 'Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty', while positioning South Africa's G20 presidency as an opportunity to integrate social protection with economic and industrial strategies.

The document asserts that nearly 800 million people face chronic hunger due to a global food system that prioritises corporate profit over people, leading to artificially inflated prices and significant environmental damage.

The document defines green industrial policy as government strategies to develop sustainable industries, such as renewable energy and green steel, while phasing out polluting sectors. It highlights that fossil fuel subsidies, which reached $7 trillion worldwide in 2022, hinder the competitiveness of renewables. While countries like China, the US, and EU members have successfully used national policies to boost green tech, developing nations face barriers including limited financing, skills shortages, and intellectual property restrictions. The author argues that the G20 must ensure a just transition by promoting technology transfer, fair trade, and the creation of decent work, while avoiding policies like the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism that may penalise carbon-intensive developing economies.

The document examines the human and economic impact of the African debt crisis, asserting that high debt costs divert critical fiscal resources from public health, education, and industrial policy. It frames the crisis not merely as a result of poor governance, but as a product of a global system based on neo-colonialism. While borrowing is described as a standard tool to bridge revenue gaps for urgent needs, the text notes that Africa collectively owes approximately $746 billion, a burden that hinders job creation and economic growth.

The policy brief examines the impact of the Trump administration's 'reciprocal tariffs' on Africa, noting that they destabilise global trade and signal the end of preferential market access under AGOA. It proposes a strategic response for African nations based on three pillars: rerouting trade via the AfCFTA and BRICS partners, subverting dependency through import substitution and critical mineral value-addition, and negotiating collectively through the African Union.

The report argues that existing financing for South Africa's just transition, such as the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP), prioritises private profit over social justice and is insufficient in scale. It proposes a cohesive framework anchored in worker demands and a new macroeconomic structure. Key recommendations include the creation of a Climate Response Fund (CRF) funded by carbon taxes and fuel levies, a shift toward 'promotional' monetary policy by the South African Reserve Bank to incentivise green lending, and the recapitalisation of the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to provide long-term, patient capital for public goods.