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For Immediate Release We, The 99%: Global Movement Calls for Justice, Equality, and Fair Finance Ahead of the G20Johannesburg, South Africa—As South Africa prepares to host the G20 Leaders’ Summit for the first time, civil-society organisations, labour unions, academics and artists from across the world will convene at Constitution Hill from 20–22 November for the “People’s Summit for Global Economic Justice”. Individuals and organisations can register to attend the Summit via [wetheninetynine.com/register]. The Summit will serve as a public platform for global dialogue on how economies can be restructured to deliver justice, dignity and sustainability for all. Organised under the banner of We, The 99%, the gathering will draw participants from over 40 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Pacific. Its agenda includes focused sessions on debt relief, tax justice, climate finance, women’s labour, and fair development, alongside cultural and artistic programmes designed to connect policy with public life. “The People’s Summit is where citizens, economists and organisers meet to discuss solutions, not slogans,” says Kearabetswe Moopelo, campaign spokesperson. “It complements, not opposes the G20, by offering evidence-based, people-centred alternatives to the policies that shape our shared future.” Civil society actors argue that these structural economic challenges cannot be solved solely through traditional diplomacy. The People’s Summit is designed to bridge policy expertise with the lived realities of communities worldwide. “Civil society is the thread that keeps democracy alive,” says Jenny Ricks, General Secretary of the Fight Inequality Alliance. “We are seeing people organise across borders, connecting struggles against hunger, debt, and climate collapse. The 99% are not asking for charity; we are demanding fairness.” A critical moment for global cooperation The Summit comes at a pivotal moment for international policy. Since the pandemic, global inequality has deepened, with the five richest men increasing their combined wealth by nearly USD 869 billion in 2024, while 800 million workers across 52 countries saw real incomes decline. Developing nations now spend more on debt servicing than on education or healthcare, leaving little fiscal room for climate adaptation or social investment. “The global debt system continues to reproduce colonial patterns of control,” notes Khaliel Moses, Public Finance Campaigner. “It forces countries to choose between paying creditors and protecting citizens. True sustainability starts when finance serves people, not the other way around.” Women and informal workers are expected to lead several key sessions. “When women and informal workers lead, economies transform,” says Martha Tukahirwa, Africa Regional Coordinator of the Fight Inequality Alliance. “Care work sustains every nation, yet it remains invisible and unpaid. We are building an economy that values what truly matters, the work that keeps life going.” The People’s Summit: The Real Gathering of the Majority Participants from across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe will gather in Johannesburg to:
Over the first two days, activists, organisers, and communities from across the world come together in movement-building workshops, strategy sessions, and collective dialogues to imagine what economic justice could look like when shaped by the people, not the powerful. On the third day, the We, The 99% People’s Festival will be the culminating celebration of the People’s Summit for Global Economic Justice. “Through music, performance, and visual expression, artists help translate the political and social messages of the Summit into living, emotional moments, reminding us that transformation is not only debated, but also danced, sung, and felt together,” explains Moopelo. An Open Space for Collaboration Registration remains open to civil society organisations, community leaders, grassroots movements, and independent organisers. The Summit is a collaborative, inclusive space, open to everyone working toward fair, sustainable, and people-centred alternatives. “This is a co-creation space,” adds Moopelo. “No one should be left behind. Every voice matters in shaping what comes after the G20.”
ENDS For Media Enquiries: Boitumelo Masipa Digital and Communications Specialist |