TICAD 9 & G20/C20 – Community Action & Mobilisation

The webinar provided Africa and Asia-Pacific partners with overviews of the G20/C20 and TICAD processes and opportunities for engagement, as well as facilitated discussions around strategic and collective actions by Africa and Asia-Pacific civil society with regards to G20/C20 and TICAD 9 leading up to the Global Fund Eighth Replenishment. Participants of the call also contributed input on key themes for a planned joint regional statement on health for TICAD 9.

The webinar was attended by around 30 community and civil society representatives and was hosted by Jennifer Ho (Operations and Programmes Manager, GFAN AP). Welcome remarks were delivered by Fitsum Lakew (African Union Liaison Manager, WACI Health) and Masaki Inaba (Programme Director for Global Health, AJF). They acknowledged the current challenges in global health and emphasised the importance of collective action to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets, Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and global commitments of ending HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria while strengthening health systems.

1. Overview of the TICAD process and TICAD 9 | Masaki Inaba (Programme Director for Global Health, AJF)

Masaki began the presentation with an overview of TICAD:

• TICAD is a multilateral conference for African development initiated by the Japanese Government, co-organised by the Government of Japan, African Union Commission (AUC), World Bank, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (UNOSAA).
• Participants of TICAD include African governments, regional economic communities (REC), UN and international organisations, the private sector, civil society, and other stakeholders.
• TICAD has a long history of 30 years, with the first TICAD taking place in 1993. AUC joined as a co-organiser in 2011.
• Since 2016, TICAD has been held every three years in Japan and African countries, on a rotation basis. TICAD was held in Kenya in 2016 and in Tunisia in 2022.
• TICAD has a three-storey structure: the Senior Officials meeting, the Ministerial level meeting, and the Summit.
• TICAD has a unique multilateral structure: AUC is one of the co-organisers with the concept of “ownership-partnership”.
• TICAD is open to UN and international organisations: Most of the UN agencies and international organisations are invited. TICAD is also comparatively open to civil society, where organisations can participate in the conference via certain processes.
• In reality, TICAD has recently also functioned as a bilateral business conference, for Japanese companies to strengthen their presence in Africa.
• The Prime Minister’s opening remarks at TICAD is key: It is traditionally when Japan’s pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) is announced, as well as Japan’s investment amounts in Africa.

Next, Masaki presented more specific information on TICAD 9, including opportunities and challenges:

• TICAD 9 will be held on August 20-22, 2025, with the Senior Officials meeting taking place on August 18-19, tentatively. The venue is Pacifico Yokohama, located 30km south of Tokyo.
• The official outcomes of TICAD 9 are the Yokohama Declaration and Action Plan, as well as the Prime Minister’s pledges.
• TICAD 9’s slogan is “Co-creating Innovative Solutions with Africa” and will focus on the promotion of innovation including digitalisation, engagement of women and youth, public and private partnerships, and inclusive and responsible global governance.
• The basic agenda over two days will start with an opening ceremony, which includes the Prime Minister’s remarks and announcement of pledges. This will be followed by three sessions on the themes of society, economy, and peace/stability, followed by a closing ceremony.
• The key dates for the TICAD 9 Summit are:
  • Aug 2024: Ministerial Meeting (Tokyo)
  • Mar 6, 2025: Co-organisers Meeting (Tokyo)
  • Early June 2025: Co-organisers Meeting (Addis)
  • Aug 18-19, 2025: Senior Officials and Ministerial meetings (Yokohama)
  • Aug 20-22, 2025: TICAD 9
• Opportunities for civil society participation include:
  • Co-organisers meeting in June, which includes a planned multi-stakeholder dialogue by UNDP
  • Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has plans for dialogues with African civil society in May and possibly July.
  • Co-organisers have historically funded representatives of African civil society to participate in Senior Officials meetings and the TICAD Summit.
  • Civil society are able to make interventions in the Summit and for the draft declaration, in addition to running side events. The call for applications for side events is until April 25.
• TICAD is not a conference for health, though it has been used as a key moment for health advocacy in both aspects of policy and finance.
• The Japanese Civil Society Coalition (on Japan’s side) and the Civic Commission for Africa (on Africa’s side) are the coordination groups for TICAD advocacy, who work with co-organisers to widen civic spaces, conduct policy advocacy for thematic issues, and strengthen collaboration with key stakeholders.
• Originally, health was not a priority area for TICAD 9, which was more focused on society issues, such as mainstreaming youth and women, and securing support for Japanese private sector presence in Africa. However, the closure of USAID and termination of aid has come as a shock to the Japanese government and MPs, who recognise the possibly catastrophic situation of health in Africa, and internal discussions have begun on how to prioritise health in TICAD 9.
• There is a need to strengthen advocacy to Japan, by highlighting the sense of emergency of the potential health catastrophe and demonstrating strong willingness for domestic resource mobilisation (DRM) and development of equal partnerships.

2. Overview of the G20/C20 Process and the Health Working Group | Nombasa Gxuluwe (Programs Manager, WACI Health)

Nombasa presented key information about the history and governance structure of the G20/C20:

• This year, the G20 is hosted by South Africa.
• The G20 was created in 1999 by finance ministers and the heads of central banks from the world’s 20 largest economies, in response to periods of successive financial crises.
• Every year, one of the G20 countries will host a Summit for heads of states and governments, as a strategic space for coordinating economic responses and finding collective solutions. Over time, G20 Summit discussions expanded beyond financial and economic matters to other related topics as well.
• South Africa is the only African country in the G20, and in 2023 the African Union (AU) was officially invited to be a plus-one to the G20.
• C20 is a civil society forum for the 20 countries who are part of the G20, and is one of the 13 engagement groups officially approved by the G20.
• Working groups are processes through which communities, civil society organisations, and individuals can join to add their voice to the G20 process. There are 14 working groups for G20 2025, mapped to the 15 Thematic Areas identified by the G20 governments.
• The C20 Troika is formed of the current, previous, and subsequent G20/C20 host countries: in this case comprising civil society from Brazil, South Africa, and the United States respectively. This structure allows for continuity in dialogue and coordination.
• The C20 Chair and Co-Chairs are responsible for facilitating the C20 process, representing C20, structuring the Secretariat, choosing the C20 Sherpa, and making pronouncements and dialogue with other actors involved in G20.
• The C20 Sherpa, who is chosen each year by the Chair and Co-Chair, is the main point of contact with external stakeholders (G20 representatives, international organisations, media, and other G20 engagement groups). The C20 Sherpa makes sure there is effective mobilisation of different stakeholders to participate and engage in the C20 process, which results in the production and submission of policy briefs and policy packs with input from the working groups in a timely manner. 
• The C20 Secretariat supports the C20 Sherpa and is responsible for administrative, financial and logistical coordination tasks.
• The International Advisory Committee (IAC) is composed of representatives of international CSOs with experience working within G20. The IAC’s main roles are to advise the Chair, the Sherpa and the Steering Committee on strategic decision-making and contribute to disseminating C20 recommendations among key stakeholders.
• The C20 Steering Committee (SC) is the executive body responsible for ensuring that the C20 is an open and diverse space that facilitates a broad range of civil society views of the G20. It leads the production of recommendations, ensures the C20 Working Groups meet regularly among themselves and with government representatives and helps coordinate the agendas for C20 meetings. The SC works alongside and is advised by the IAC.
• WACI Health is one of the working group facilitators for Working Group 12, Equitable Health for All.
• The 14 working groups contribute to a policy brief that will be submitted in June as an advocacy position paper to the G20.
• The South African C20 Apex Civil Society Structure comprises a Chair, who is from civil society, and two Co-Chairs, one of whom is from civil society and one of whom is from affected communities, specifically people with disabilities. The C20 Sherpa is a nominated representative from civil society, who is supported by 2 Sous Sherpa, one of whom is from civil society and one of whom is from communities, specifically the LGBTIQ+ community.
• A pre-inception meeting was held in February with civil society and communities to introduce the C20 process and roadmap. An inception meeting is planned for late-April as the official launch and to announce the C20 Apex leadership.
• There are currently ongoing C20 bimonthly meetings. Nombasa, as the focal point of the C20 Health Working Group, has also attended two meetings hosted by the G20 Health Working Group. The focuses on the meetings have been on achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), non-communicable diseases with a special focus on cervical cancer, and financial protection of health, to remove financial hardship in accessing health services. 

Updates on African Union Engagements | Fitsum Lakew (African Union Liaison Manager, WACI Health)

Fitsum also provided updates on AU engagements:

• AU has set 6 priority engagements for the next three years within the G20 membership:
  • Fast tracking Agenda 2063, a set of aspirations set in 2013 to ensure that Africa prospers.
  • Advocating for reform of international financial institutions, enhancing agricultural output.
  • Achieving a just energy transition.
  • Promoting trade and investment for the African Continental Free Trade Area roll-out.
  • Improving Africa’s credit rating. 
  • Boosting investment in vaccine manufacturing and pandemic response.
• It is promising to see specific targets for the next 3 years on vaccine manufacturing and pandemic response, and it is important to advocate to ensure follow through and also emphasise on health systems strengthening aspects.

3. C20 India Working Group Engagement in India | Aman Shukla (India Working Group for Health Advocacy)

Aman Shukla shared about their previous engagement and lessons learnt from the G20/C20 process during India’s hosting of the G20 Summit in 2023:

• India Working Group (IWG) shared the India investment case document with the Indian First Secretary to Indonesia, Mr. Ashok Kumar, in Bali. This document highlighted gaps and challenges in funding for HIV, TB, and malaria from both government and community perspectives.

• IWG partnered with the C20 Sherpa and engaged with the nodal agency for C20, initially VANI and later Maa Amratnandmaiye.
• IWG drafted a brief paper providing background on the India Investment Case, outlining challenges in India’s health funding mechanisms, specifically focusing on the need for increased investment in health advocacy and reviewing annual health budgets.
• IWG members formed into four C20 working groups aligned with their work: (1) Diversity, Inclusion & Mutual Respect; (2) Integrated Holistic Health: Mind, Body and the Environment; (3) Sustainable and Resilient Communities: Climate, Environment, and Net Zero; and (4) Gender Equality and Disability (GED), which actively contributed to drafting policies and statements for the G20 main meeting.
• Community engagement activities were carried out seasonally to connect with communities:
  • Activity 1: On International Women’s Day IWG organised a capacity building workshop-cum-community consultation on the challenges faced by women in TB responses, to be highlighted in the C20/G20 event.
  • Activity 2: The following week, IWG organised a webinar on the “Challenges & Lessons learnt in HIV Care for Women” in their diversity.
  • Activity 3: IWG conducted a workshop focused on strengthening young advocates’  advocacy skills, with an emphasis on engaging in domestic health financing advocacy and effectively participating in G20 and C20 processes. The capacity-building session empowered 30 young individuals from key and vulnerable populations affected by HIV, TB and malaria.
• Five IWG members participated in the C20 Health Summit and were involved in various groups focused on health, domestic resource investments for health, and mental health. They presented a poster reflecting IWG’s health advocacy context, challenges, and four key asks, which were acknowledged by the Health Minister.
• IWG members actively participated in various working group sessions, contributing to the drafting of final recommendations on Health Investments, TB, Mental Health, and Gender. These recommendations were later submitted at the G20’s main meeting for discussion and implementation.
• IWG contributed to drafting a policy paper on TB eradication, given the emphasis on greater investments for TB elimination during the G20 and in line with the Indian Prime Minister’s vision to end TB by 2025.
• IWG conducted social media campaigns involving community leaders, parliamentarians, and IWG members to engage with Sherpas of various G20/C20 sectors and working groups. The campaign highlighted investment gaps, such as the target of 2.5% of GDP investment in health.
• Some challenges faced by IWG are:
  • Pre-drafted Statements: Some statements and solutions in working groups were pre-drafted, limiting genuine consultation. It is recommended that participants in upcoming G20/C20 Summits communicate clearly with working group coordinators to ensure feedback is incorporated and follow-up meetings are held.
  • Limited Information Sharing: There were multiple groups and information sharing was limited. Working group members are encouraged to disseminate information to larger networks like GFAN.

4. Global Fund Eighth Replenishment advocacy at TICAD 9

Satoko Itoh (Managing Director and Chief Program Officer, Japan Center for International Exchange & Assistant Director, Friends of the Global Fund, Japan) also added brief comments on the positioning of TICAD and challenges for the Eighth Replenishment:

• Given the likely delay of the Eighth Replenishment Conference, TICAD should be seen as a platform for a “final push” for Japan’s Global Fund pledge, rather than for early announcement.
• A significant challenge noticed is the absence of Global Fund messaging and advocacy from African heads of state during conversations with Japanese policymakers. During high-level bilateral meetings at TICAD, messages from African leaders to Japanese leaders have primarily focused on economic investment in their countries, with no requests or mentions by Presidents or Ministers about supporting the Global Fund.
• Friends of the Global Fund, Japan is actively exploring ways to ensure the voices of African heads of state are heard by Japanese policymakers, either during the lead-up to TICAD or at the event itself.

Next, Rachel Ong (Regional Coordinator, GFAN AP) facilitated a brainstorming and ideation session with participants on Mentimeter, to develop key themes and thematic areas for TICAD advocacy. Participants provided their input the following prompts:

• What are 3 issues and/or principles that you feel are very important to be included in TICAD advocacy efforts?
• How would contributing towards the Global Fund contribute towards the main pillars of TICAD’s conversations of society, peace and stability, and economy?
• What do you feel is important to accelerate health, equity, solidarity, and universal access?

Rachel thanked all participants for their input on the three questions, which will be included in a draft paper to be circulated with colleagues for further review and refinement. This will ultimately support the development of a joint statement from the Asia Pacific and African regions to be presented to decision-makers at TICAD.

Jennifer concluded the webinar with appreciation to participants for their support and interest in the TICAD and G20/C20 processes and a call for continued engagement and collaboration moving forward.

SPEAKERS:

PRESENTATIONS:

• • TICAD and Health Advocacy. Presenter: Masaki Inaba, Africa Japan Forum.
  • C20 South Africa 2025. Presenter: Nombasa Gxuluwe, WACI Health.
  • C20 India Working Group Engagement in India. Presenter: Aman Shukla, India Working Group for Health Advocacy.