Power of Collective Advocacy at the G20
The G20 Brazil is over and the presidency was delivered to South Africa. Highlighting the Brazilian resilience and South African wisdom at the heart of the accomplishments we had this year, no concept better represents the essence of our work than Ubuntu—“I am because we are.” This philosophy of interconnectedness and mutual care defines the work of a group dedicated to initially advocate for the Mantra and the prioritisation of the investment of Children and Adolescents Mental health, and later, collectively building the #ChildrenInG20, for the creation of a formal engagement group for children within the G20 framework, aiming to make their voices central to global policymaking, integrating the rights like mental health and well-being of children and adolescents into the global agenda.
It was quite an adventure to have this active and voluntary participation in the G20 Brazil event. Representing SoulBeeGood and the Vertentes Mental Health Ecosystem, with the support from Global Mental Health Action Network (GMHAN). Some amazing people joined our G20 Stag including Juliana Fleury (ASEC+), Antonis, Sally and Aviwe (UnitedGMH), Raj and Pritti (Mariwala Health Initiative), Mathew Mutiso (CapMHKenya), Monica Pasqualin (Catalyst 2030), Farah Arabe (itotheN), Nataya Branjerdporn (Orygen), Sandra Willis (GMH Lab @ TC), Anaami Pandit-Haji (PAHO), Emma Ferguson and Jyothi Ravichandran (Unicef), and all the other G20 Stag members.
This articulation was key for us to set collective advocacy goals and recommendations that supported several discussions in the C20 and G20 working groups, leading to the inclusion of Mental Health as a key priority for the G20 Sustainable Financing Working Group and the final C20 Policy Pack highlighting the importance of mental health from the perspective of our civil society engagement efforts.
The C20 Policy Pack 2024 highlights mental health as a critical component of the broader health and societal challenges faced globally, where mental health is framed as a fundamental right, interlinked with socioeconomic determinants such as poverty, gender equity, and racial justice. It calls for investments in mental health that address these intersecting vulnerabilities. It also emphasises the call for universal health coverage, ensuring equity and comprehensive access to health systems. The integration of mental health into health responses, especially in vulnerable communities is highlighted along with mental health capital's role in the climate resilience framework, particularly as part of the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience.
The document also highlights the importance of prioritising mental health in pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response frameworks, addressing the psychological impacts of health crises. The intersectionality in mental health solutions and inclusive policies and approaches to integrate education, social protection, and environmental justice, particularly for marginalised groups. This framing positions mental health as both a standalone priority and a cross-cutting issue integral to achieving sustainable development and resilience.
But the groundbreaking innovation generated at the G20 Brazil was the Children in G20 initiative which exemplifies the transformative potential of collective advocacy, with the support of more than 70 organizations worldwide. The group was formed and implemented in less than 6 months, due to the lack of children and adolescents rights protection and prioritisation in the Communiques from almost all G20 and C20 Working Groups. Based on this converging and urgent agenda, the collective was formed. Our aim is to join in building joint and systemic advocacy efforts to ensure that the agenda of children's rights is fully integrated across all G20 processes leading up to the Leaders' Summit. We can demonstrate that by uniting diverse stakeholders around a common vision, in which systemic change becomes achievable.
After our pre-launch during the 79th UNGA meeting in NYC, we have collectively built the Children in G20 Policy Pack, that presents recommendations to ensure that children and adolescents are not left behind in the G20 agendas, calling for the integration of their rights, perspectives, and meaningful participation in the process. At the G20 Social High-Level Meeting, previously the G20 Summit in Rio, for the first time, children themselves participated in the G20 for the first time.
In a powerful act of global advocacy mobilisation, children and adolescents delivered a letter incorporating input from over 50,000 young people across 60 countries together with the Children in G20 Policy Pack to global leaders and political representatives from Brazil and South Africa, demanding recognition of their rights and political agency. Their voices resonated with urgency, calling for inclusion in decisions shaping their present and future.
The panel brought together Her Excellency the Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship, Macaé Evaristo, His Excellency the Minister of Social Development, Family, and the Fight Against Hunger, Wellington Dias, His Excellency Mr. Mongezi Mnguni, Director of Economic Development at the Department of International Relations and G20 Coordinator for South Africa, the Brazilian G20 Deputy Sherpa, Felipe Hess, the C20 Sherpa in Brazil, Alessandra Nilo and the Brazilian first Lady Janja Lula da Silva.
In addition, the participation of over 80 children at the Children’s Tent underscored the importance of creating inclusive spaces for youth in global forums. This initiative marked a turning point, showcasing what is possible when the collective power of civil society meets the indomitable spirit of the next generation. This year’s G20 Summit showcased important progress in tackling global challenges such as poverty eradication, climate action, and governance reform. Yet, a critical gap remained: the lack of prioritisation for the rights and participation of children and adolescents.
The Leaders’ Declaration mentioned children only once, in the context of global crises, without proposing systemic solutions or investments in early childhood and mental health. In a world where 333 million children live in poverty, 1 billion face food insecurity, and 99% are exposed to climate crises, this omission is a glaring oversight. Mental health is emphasised as a critical component of resilient and inclusive health systems. The declaration reaffirms the commitment to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through integrated, people-centred services, including mental health. It highlights investments in health workforce training, and adopts a "One Health" approach, recognising the interconnectedness of human, animal, plant, and environmental health. But, there are no actionable strategies or measurable goals, despite the escalating mental health crises fueled by climate change and socioeconomic inequalities. Investments in mental health, particularly for children and adolescents, remain under prioritised.
As we look ahead to the G20 in South Africa, there is an opportunity to deepen and expand critical conversations about reframing mental health—not merely as a health concern but as a foundational enabler of productivity, creativity, and civic engagement. Integrating mental health into youth development programs generates a transformative ripple effect. It empowers young people with self-efficacy and confidence to lead, enhances their capacity to learn, innovate, and collaborate, and, most importantly, establishes the foundation for lifelong well-being that strengthens communities and economies.
A mentally resilient generation is better equipped to navigate challenges, innovate in adversity, and foster cohesive societies. Yet, stigma, chronic underfunding, and systemic neglect have relegated mental health to the periphery of global priorities. Mental health must, therefore, be redefined as a cornerstone of human capital development, seamlessly interwoven with skills, knowledge, health, and social connectedness accumulated over a lifetime. This interconnectedness underpins economic productivity, resilience, and social cohesion.
To build resilient economies and equitable societies, prioritising investments in mental health and fostering meaningful youth engagement in governance, policy design, and implementation is not optional—it is the linchpin of sustainable development.
However, sustaining this momentum requires dismantling silos, nurturing resilient ecosystems, and strategically leveraging funding and resources. Youth engagement must transcend token gestures to become a central pillar of global governance, policy making and investment allocation ensuring that young voices and perspectives actively shape a sustainable and inclusive global future. So we must keep pushing for prioritising investments in children, adolescents and youth mental health, youth-centric governance models and equitable access to opportunities.
Beyond the G20 South Africa is already pivoting the Children in G20 for the Children in COP30, leveraging this global Ecosystem to push further children and adolescents rights protection, meaningful participation and political protagonism, not just in global political forums, but with true commitments worldwide. Inspired by UNICEF's "Child-Lens Investing Framework," we expect to emphasise integrated, intersectional approaches to investment, innovative financing for human capital generation, advocacy and policy, ensuring cultural sensitivity and measurable impacts. We expect to influence global agendas, fostering equitable, sustainable development that enables every child to thrive and contribute to a more inclusive and resilient future. We must elevate the voices of children and youth from consultation to co-leadership.
The policies we design today must reflect their realities, their aspirations, and their right to a thriving future. Ubuntu reminds us that “I am because we are.” It is through collective action that we can build a world where every child’s voice is heard, their rights protected, and their potential realised. Let this be our rallying cry as we continue to fight for systemic transformations that prioritise the most vulnerable among us. In times with so many uncertainties let us remember: the future is not a distant concept. It is being built today, and its architects are already here. By investing in the mental, psychological resilience, well-being, education, and leadership of young people, we are not just addressing today's crises—we are laying the foundation for a sustainable, equitable, and prosperous tomorrow. Because the strength of a society lies in its ability to empower its youngest members. And their potential knows no bounds.
Written by Beto Carvalho, Vertentes
About
The "Children in the G20" group is composed of Save the Children, Plan International, Instituto Alana, ANDI – Comunicação e Direitos, Childhood, FamilyTalks, Fundação José Luiz Egydio Setúbal, Instituto Promundo, Fundação Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal, Centro Internacional de Estudos e Pesquisas sobre a Infância (CIESPI/PUC-Rio), Brazilian Coalition to End Violence Against Children and Adolescents, Associação pela Saúde Emocional de Crianças (ASEc+), Soulbeegood, Vertentes – Mental Health Ecosystem, Global Mental Health Action Network, Instituto Árvores Vivas para Conservação e Cultura Ambiental, Instituto Jô Clemente, National Early Childhood Network (RNPI), Orygen, ItotheN, and Catalyst 2030.
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