13th August, 2025
Vasudha Foundation, in collaboration with Climate Action Network South Asia, organised a webinar on Advancing Equity in Energy Transition: Civil Society Perspectives for the South Africa C20 as part of the G20 South Africa Presidency, the Civil 20 (C20) Working Group on ‘Just Energy Transition, Environment and Climate Sustainability’ (JET-CES-WG-14) on 13th August 2025.
The webinar served as a platform to deliberate on the priorities, barriers, and enablers of just energy transition, particularly from the perspective of the Global South. It also aimed to help inform and enhance the ‘ask’ that the Working Group on JET will submit to the C20 and G20, and gathered insights to strengthen the policy brief on ‘Just Energy Transition’ that has been developed for C20-G20.
Context:
Dr Sanjay Vashist (CANSA) delivered the welcome remarks. Working Group-14, Chair Wanjikú Wairia and Co-facilitators Srinivas Krishnaswamy & Janet Munakamwe outlined the working group’s mandate and relevance to the C20–G20 process.
Key Discussions:
- Just transition momentum is growing in multi-stakeholder forums (such as G20 and UNFCCC), however, it needs to be scaled up above ad-hoc dialogue. Progress on including vulnerable groups must be strengthened.
- Speakers highlighted to build the dialogue and final communique to the C20 | G20 on the principles of a JET, which include but are not limited to the following:
- Continuous consultation mechanism of all groups– formal and informal workers (across the value chain), vulnerable groups, women, and indigenous communities to ensure inclusivity
- Strengthen a cross-sectoral approach to just energy transition planning, as an energy transition has implications on several economic sectors and social aspects
- Intersection of prosperity and equity with just transition – including decent work, social protection, access to public services;
- Recognising that the financial needs for a JET must be met through collaboration and partnerships between the Global North and South, with a specific focus on grants
- Alignment of the Paris Agreement with human rights
- Accelerate/ strengthen action on outcomes from previous G20 proceedings (ex: Brazilian G20 Presidency’s Energy Transition principles)
- Acknowledging that a dynamic geopolitical landscape will influence future COPs and G20 summits, as well as UNFCCC mechanisms like NCQGs.
- There is a need for strategic, creative messaging to ensure actionable commitments, especially around labour, energy, supply chains, minerals, and communities.
- The JET narrative has evolved significantly since Indonesia’s G20 Presidency in 2022, India’s in 2023, Brazil’s in 2024 and now South Africa’s in 2025, under the Global South’s leadership.
- Transitions must be people-friendly, grounded in equity and efficiency, and supported by evidence-based advocacy.
- MSMEs need to be part of just energy transition planning as they are central to several value chains, so their needs must be factored in. MSME inclusion is also important as they often include at-risk industrial and product-group value chains.
Speakers:
- Dr Sanjay Vashist, Director, CAN South Asia
- Ms Wanjikú Wairia, Chair and Lead Facilitator, Working Group on ‘Just Energy Transition, Environment and Climate Sustainability’ (JET-CES-WG-14) of South Africa C20 | G20
- Mr Srinivas Krishnaswamy, CEO, Vasudha Foundation and Joint Co-facilitator JET Working Group on ‘Just Energy Transition, Environment and Climate Sustainability’ (JET-CES-WG-14) of South Africa C20 | G20
- Dr Janet Munakamwe, Joint Co-facilitator JET Working Group on ‘Just Energy Transition, Environment and Climate Sustainability’ (JET-CES-WG-14) of South Africa C20 | G20
- Ms Anabella Rosemberg, Senior Advisor (Just Transition), CAN International
- Mr Enrique Gabriel Maurtua Konstantinidis, Senior Policy Advisor, Institute for Climate and Society
- Prof. Vinod Menon, Founder Member, National Disaster Management Authority India
- Moderator – Ms Rini Dutt – Associate Director – Climate Policy and Director- Strategic Engagement and Partnerships