// GOVERNANCE
T he G20’s compliance with its 2024 Rio de Janeiro Summit commit- ments offers a strong foundation to assess the prospects for its performance in 2025 and its overall efforts to address domestic and international issues around the world. Since 2008, G20 members have averaged 71% compliance with their lead- ers’ priority commitments, as assessed by the G20 Research Group. Compliance with commitments made at the 2023 New Delhi Summit was among the strongest, with near-perfect scores on several com- mitments, whereas compliance with Rio’s commitments has been more modest. At the Rio Summit, leaders agreed to 174 commitments that prioritised cli- mate change, institutional reform, health systems and inclusive socio-economic development. In line with these objec- tives, the G20 Research Group selected 13 priority commitments to monitor for compliance: four on climate, environ- ment and energy; two on development; and seven spanning health systems, gov- ernance reform, fiscal policy, regional security, fertiliser shortages, women’s labour market participation and digital platform transparency. By May 2025, G20 members’ compli- ance with those 13 Rio commitments was only 64%, ranging from 88% on energy to 36% on food and agriculture. This perfor- mance reflects the wider global context, shaped by shifting governance, rising conflict and slower economic growth. Nonetheless, many G20 members did well, with the European Union leading at 92%, closely followed by Japan and the United Kingdom. Argentina, Russia and the United States, however, had compli- ance below 40%, with the lowest to date for the US at 31%. South Africa, which holds the current G20 presidency, had 62%. These scores indicate that the initial implementation of these commitments was underway, but with much room for improvement as members prepare for the Johannesburg Summit in November. PERFORMANCE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS Compliance is expected to increase mod- erately by the Johannesburg Summit, although major breakthroughs for low-scoring members and challenging commitments remain unlikely. Some commitments have clear path- ways to implementation. Additional progress is expected on the commitment on energy transition supply chains, by May
Uneven compliance, widening global divides and lagging implementation on key commitments mean that Johannesburg offers a critical test of whether the G20 can move from pledges to performance South Africa’s G20 presidency: Performance and prospects for the Johannesburg Summit
Mahek Kaur and Irene Wu, co-chairs of summit studies, G20 Research Group
144 // G20 SOUTH AFRICA: THE JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT 2025
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