M20 Johannesburg Declaration: Urgent call to counter ‘profound global crisis in integrity of information’
‘We are responding to a moment of profound global crisis in the integrity of information, peace and respect for human rights, including environmental rights. We hereby alert our media colleagues, the G20 and the wider public: the crisis is intensifying as the spaces for independent news media and civic engagement contract.’
M20 for G20 Media Summit concluded in Johannesburg this week with a bold, comprehensive Declaration, a clear path forward for all media stakeholders – and a firm framework for future impact.
Convened in Johannesburg by the South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) and Media Monitoring Africa during the 2025 South African presidency of the G20, M20 is a parallel initiative: an alliance of over 50 global organisations united to “promote journalism as a public good, as a key to information integrity and G20 goals.”
Built on existing global frameworks, including the Windhoek Declaration of 1991 on a Free, Pluralistic and Independent African media, and aligned to the UN’s Global Principles for Information Integrity, the Declaration encourages the 2025 G20 to take “significant steps to ensure that independent journalism and media pluralism are strengthened and information integrity is secured.”
Critical challenges, actionable solutions
The Declaration calls on media, civil society and stakeholders to act on critical challenges identified and outlined in eight policy briefs:
- Information integrity
- Artificial Intelligence
- Media viability
- Safety
- Women and media
- Children, young people (teenagers) and marginalised groups
It also contains further wordings for declarations by G20 Heads of State and task groups such to address issues of AI in Africa; Media viability and media freedom; Climate crisis and information integrity and Rights of Women Journalists.
The Declaration outlines proactive solutions for news media organisations to prioritise media freedom and viability, including a commitment to reinforcing the highest standards of journalism ethics to counterbalance attacks against information integrity.
News outlets are also urged to “empower, celebrate, promote, and spotlight independent media by supporting and raising awareness around key annual events such as World News Day and the International Day for Universal Access to Information (both on 28 September), as well as the Global Week for Media and Information Literacy from 24 October, and World Press Freedom Day on 3 May.
Moving forward: G20 Leaders Summit and beyond
The Declaration will be presented to the G20 leaders at the Leaders Summit in November.
Also on the cards is a Media Integrity Monitoring Framework, to track annual G20 commitments on information integrity, journalist safety, and media viability, and an M20-linked Integrity Index to help institutions benchmark progress and promote accountability.
Organisations can add their names to the list of endorsements by contacting the M20 Secretariat: m20support@altadvisory.africa
