The G20’s Interfaith Forum (IF20) was held in Cape Town between the 10th and 14th of August 2025. The CTII was well represented and here intern Whitney Hedlund reports from her perspective.
The Ubuntu Umbrella
The theme of the IF20 was “Ubuntu in Action,” with sub-themes of global hunger, economic inequity, tackling interreligious tensions through education, disaster response, and organized exploitation. Attending the IF20 was an enormous privilege. I am grateful for the opportunity to engage with such impassioned individuals and thought leaders in the interfaith world and community.
The highlight of the conference came from the smaller conversations in breakout groups, where participants had the opportunity to dive deeper into workstreams related to the themes of the conference. I was particularly struck by the many experts, faith leaders, and practitioners who were eager to share their work, problem-solve, and imagine new ways to work toward a better future for all.
Gap 1: Gender
The first day of the IF20, I made a notation in my notebook about the overwhelming presence of men on stage, in panels, and presenting keynote speeches.
On the second day, I wrote, “The elephant in the room is IF20’s gender problem. Where is women’s voice more important than in a space seeking to encourage solidarity, ubuntu, violence prevention, and improve religious tensions?
On the third day, I just wrote “manels,” a word used to describe men-dominated panels.
The IF20, like large, global-facing conferences, had some glaring inequities. The gaps repeatedly identified by participants were the lack of representation of traditional spiritualities and religions, the tokenization of youth, and the avoidance of difficult or uncomfortable conversations, such as speaking truth to power.
We had the privilege of hearing from the widely respected Dr. Jonathan Jansen, who as a pannelist broke the silence on topics such as gender and genocide. When speaking about teaching values, during an overwhelmingly male panel, he said, “Values are something that you teach by modeling the appropriate behavior. Let me give you an example. If you have a panel, like this one with nine men and one woman, you are teaching values. Whether you like it or not, you are teaching values.”
Gap 2: Genocide
The absence of women and uncertainty around addressing the genocide in Palestine are two topics directly related to the themes of the conference. I believe these oversights are symptoms of a far larger problem.
I was particularly troubled by the lack of women represented and the tip-toeing around the genocides we are currently witnessing globally (Palestine, DRC, Sudan, etc). Yet, I was encouraged by the many participants and panelists who sought to re-center underrepresented and overlooked issues by raising their voices whenever the opportunity arose.
However, as was mentioned during the conference, our capacity to make a difference can only be realized once we seek to understand the problem. The IF20’s inability to engage faith leaders around genocide, starvation, and gross human rights violations in Palestine, in addition to the absence of women alongside male-dominated plenary sessions, panels, and speeches, indicates that the organizers do not understand the problem.
Dedication and responsibility
I must applaud the wonderful panel titled “Women’s Roles in Building Peace and Sustainable Communities: Religious Dimensions” that featured CTII’s own Babalwa Ngcongolo and Sarah Oliver. This panel was a crowd favorite and spoke to the reality of how women’s roles in peacebuilding efforts are minimized and oftentimes rendered completely invisible. Panelists discussed women’s essential role in building a “just peace” and explored strategies to engage women to lead in this space.
I will commend the organizers for their dedicated efforts to solicit feedback from participants. I was not shocked that many folks raised some of the same questions and gaps that I experienced; however, I was encouraged by the organizers I spoke with, some of whom took responsibility for the issues raised. My hope is that the organizers will make a concerted effort to address some of the structural problems we witnessed this past week.
G20 and 2026
However, as the US plans to take the presidency next year, I fear that the US will seek to maintain strict control of the budget. The US has waged a social war against efforts at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), free speech, and frankly anything else that does not represent white, patriarchal, Christian values.
How will the IF20 make strides toward urgent, global interreligious solidarity rooted in compassion and empathy in the shadow of Trumpism and increasing xenophobia in the US?
The IF20 will have the opportunity to model their values in 2026. I implore the organizers for next year to co-design next year’s forum with those who were left without a seat at the table. At the upcoming IF20, I would like to see the IF20’s organizers press their ear to the ground, hear the cries for justice, and have the courage to stand in solidarity with the vulnerable—especially in the face of Trumpism in the US.
