As part of its commitment to advancing SA’s developmental agenda and fostering sustainable economic growth, Sanlam is playing a leading role in the B20 proceedings as the country hosts the 2025 G20.
The B20, the official private sector engagement group of the G20, serves as a formal dialogue forum for the global business community to provide policy recommendations to G20 leaders.
It brings together business leaders from G20 countries to discuss and formulate solutions for critical global challenges, which are then shared with the G20.
The latest Sanlam ESG Barometer report, now in its third year, takes a unique approach, focusing on the B20 process as a catalyst for change. To ensure B20 recommendations lead to tangible action, the report — to be launched in October in partnership with Business Day — seeks to understand the real-world impact of B20 policy proposals.
Titled the Sanlam ESG Barometer: B20 Policy Impact Special Report, it is based on research conducted by consulting firm Krutham. By analysing the policy pipeline from proposal to implementation, this research aims to provide insights into the factors that increase the likelihood of B20 proposals being taken up and acted on by G20 member states.
“We’ve taken a look at the last three years of B20s, identified what the B20 proposals were, which of those were adopted into the G20 recommendations, and of those, which ones have seen real action,” says Nicole Martens, head of Impact Advisory at Krutham.
By analysing the successes and challenges of past B20 proposals, the Sanlam ESG Barometer: B20 Policy Impact Special Report aims to identify “shared characteristics of what we consider to be a successful B20 proposal, one that delivers impact or real outcomes”.
The findings are based on desktop research and insights from stakeholders, including task force chairs and organisations involved in the B20 process.
As Martens notes, the goal is to provide valuable insights for current and future B20 stakeholders, helping them “design their proposals with real-world impact in mind” and ultimately drive meaningful outcomes.
The research identified several key themes that contribute to the success of B20 proposals and highlighted the crucial role that the B20 process plays in driving resilience and progress through ongoing conversation and increasingly nuanced discussions.
Successful proposals, says Martens, typically share certain characteristics, including alignment with G20 priorities, as well as broad and deep stakeholder engagement that goes beyond just the B20 itself. Clear accountability, measurable progress tracking, and specific financial or implementation structures also contribute to a proposal’s success. Moreover, proposals that align with the public good are more likely to gain traction.
Insights from stakeholders further highlighted the importance of competent and credible task force chairs, says Martens.
The critical role of knowledge partners and the need for a deliberate, focused, and practical advocacy strategy were also emphasised, with stakeholders stressing that active engagement is required before, during, and after the B20 process to secure buy-in for proposals and their implementation.
Martens argues that given that many B20 proposals this year are focused on the Global South, which may not align with the G20’s broader objectives, B20 stakeholders may need to look beyond the G20 process to turn these priorities into action, leveraging forums like the G7 or the World Economic Forum to drive progress.
“It is clear that the work doesn’t end with the release of task force papers — in fact, it’s just the beginning. The real challenge lies in turning B20 proposals into tangible G20 action, and that requires sustained advocacy and dedication to legacy initiatives that outlive the G20 cycle,” she says.
The Sanlam ESG Barometer: B20 Policy Impact Special Report will be launched on October 7. Click here to register your virtual attendance.
This article was sponsored by Sanlam.
