At the conclusion of the G20 International Symposium on Global Justice and Solidarity held at the University of Cape Town, participants from across Africa and the world endorsed the Cape Town Declaration on Global Justice and Solidarity, a policy-focused statement urging structural changes to the global financial and governance systems.

Representatives from the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) Justice and Peace Commission, faith communities, academia, civil society, governments, and multilateral institutions signed the declaration, which asserts that the current global framework is not adequately responding to the needs of the poor, the sustainability of the planet, or the dignity of the human person.

The Cape Town Declaration highlights the growing impact of interconnected crises—particularly climate change, unsustainable debt, and limited access to development finance—and calls for coordinated international responses guided by justice and accountability.

The Declaration identifies a “Triple Fiscal Crisis”—climate, debt, and liquidity—as a central challenge, warning that these reinforce one another and limit countries’ ability to invest in resilience and protect vulnerable populations. It states that technical solutions alone are insufficient, and that a renewed sense of global moral responsibility is required.

The document outlines five key areas of commitment:

1. A New Social Contract for the Global Economy: Reforms to ensure global financial systems prioritise human dignity, equity, and environmental responsibility.
2. Debt Justice Now: Cancellation of illegitimate and unsustainable debt and the establishment of a fair and transparent international debt resolution framework.
3. End Hunger, Nourish Dignity: A proposal for universal school meal programmes by 2030, recognising their role in promoting health, education, and gender equity.
4. Planetary Solidarity and Ecological Transformation: Support for the creation of an Ecological Impact Fund for the Global South, with resources directed toward climate resilience and loss-and-damage financing.
5. Inclusive Global Governance: Affirmation that faith leaders, youth, women, and civil society actors must play a role in shaping governance structures at all levels.

In addition to the core declarations, the signatories committed to:

• Sustaining the Solidarity for One Humanity, One Future network;
• Presenting the Declaration to the African Union, the South African G20 Presidency, the United Nations, and the Vatican;
• Developing a public Scorecard on Global Justice Commitments;
• Publishing academic and policy outputs from the symposium;
• Mobilising collective action and civic engagement in support of global justice goals.

The Declaration underscores the role of ethical leadership, multilateral cooperation, and grassroots participation in shaping a more just and sustainable international system. While acknowledging the complexity of current global challenges, it affirms that constructive collaboration—anchored in shared responsibility—can contribute to meaningful reform.

The symposium, hosted under the South African G20 Presidency, brought renewed attention to Africa’s contribution to global discourse on justice, solidarity, and ecological integrity.