This blog is adapted from our latest G20 Interfaith Forum Podcast. Listen to the whole episode on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Music.
As we reflect on 2025, the G20 Interfaith Forum (IF20) is proud to share the remarkable achievements and milestones that defined our year of global engagement. Our newly released 40-page year-end report captures the breadth and depth of our work, showcasing how faith communities worldwide came together to address some of humanity’s most pressing challenges.
The Protea: A Symbol of Unity and Resilience
The cover of our year-end report features the striking protea flower, South Africa’s national flower and the logo for the G20 South Africa 2025 presidency. This choice is deeply symbolic. Known for its remarkable ability to regenerate even after fire, the protea embodies the strength that emerges from challenges. Its distinct petals, coming together in one magnificent bloom, represent diverse faiths and cultures uniting in common purpose—a perfect metaphor for IF20’s mission.
The protea also connects to Ubuntu, the South African philosophy that “I am because we are.” This principle of interconnectedness guided our work throughout 2025, as we brought together stakeholders from different countries, races, and religions to address critical global issues. South Africa’s G20 presidency theme—solidarity, equality, and sustainability—resonated deeply with our values and shaped our programmatic focus.
Five Priority Areas for Global Action
Throughout 2025, IF20 concentrated our efforts on five interconnected themes:
Food Security and Poverty: Addressing the fundamental human right to adequate nutrition and economic opportunity.
Economic and Financial Action: Focusing particularly on debt relief for nations facing economic hardship.
Addressing Interreligious Tensions: Promoting education and enhanced understanding across faith traditions.
Migration and Refugee Movements: Supporting displaced populations and advocating for humane policies.
Disaster Prevention: Building resilience and preparedness in vulnerable communities.
These themes provided the framework for our forums, webinars, policy recommendations, and advocacy efforts throughout the year.
Expanding Our Digital Reach
Our social media presence grew significantly in 2025, enabling us to reach new audiences and amplify interfaith dialogue globally. On Instagram, we garnered 2,381 likes and 7,176 views, with content designed to promote our five focus areas. Our YouTube channel experienced particularly impressive growth, doubling our viewership from the previous year—jumping from 33,000 views in 2024 to 66,000 views in 2025, with a total watch time of 2,600 hours. Facebook engagement reached 5,517 views.
Perhaps most striking was the geographic diversity of our audience. While the United States led in YouTube views, China ranked second with 3,400 views, followed by South Africa. This global reach demonstrates the universal relevance of our work and the hunger for interfaith collaboration across borders.
Our Viewpoints blog also saw substantial growth, with readership ranging from 500 to 1,500 visitors monthly, peaking during our major events in summer and fall. Top-performing posts included analyses of religious freedom priorities ahead of the 2026 International Religious Freedom Summit, explorations of covenantal pluralism as a path to religious freedom, examinations of nuclear threats amid the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and summaries of our pre-forum meetings.
The Cape Town Forum: A Gathering of Global Significance
The centerpiece of our 2025 calendar was the annual forum held in Cape Town, South Africa. The event brought together an extraordinary cross-section of global leaders and stakeholders: 31 academics, representatives from 48 countries, leaders from 50 different religions, 126 religious administrators, and 300 civil society representatives and policymakers.
With 457 in-person participants and 704 people watching in real time, the forum’s reach far exceeded previous years. During the forum period alone, we achieved nearly 55,000 Instagram views—approximately ten times our typical monthly engagement—and gained over 3,500 new followers.
Launching Tools for Accountability: The Modern Slavery Prevention Index
One of the most significant outcomes from our engagement at the G20 Social Summit was the launch of the Modern Slavery Prevention Index (MSPI), developed by Kevin Hyland and Duncan Jepson. This groundbreaking platform tracks and analyzes how G20 and other governments work to prevent exploitation and modern slavery.
The MSPI examines national plans and strategies, activities, resource allocation, and implementation efforts across countries, providing unprecedented transparency into governmental commitments to combat human trafficking. This initiative exemplifies how IF20 networks with partners to advance concrete tools for accountability and progress on critical human rights issues.
A Year of Global Engagement
Beyond the annual forum, IF20 participated in or hosted approximately 13 international events throughout 2025, spanning continents from Rome to Singapore to Azerbaijan. This global presence enabled us to build relationships, share best practices, and advocate for faith-based approaches to global challenges in diverse contexts.
Amplifying Voices Through Webinars and Podcasts
Our 16 webinars in 2025 covered a remarkable range of topics, all available for viewing on our YouTube channel. Notable series included:
Anti-Human Trafficking: A comprehensive series hosted by Duncan Jepson examining various dimensions of modern slavery and efforts to combat it.
Faith in Action: A series exploring our five priority areas with particular focus on South African contexts in preparation for the forum.
AI and Religion: Exploring the implications of artificial intelligence for faith communities and religious practice.
Violence Prevention: “Guns, Gangs, and Violence: The Role of Faith Communities” brought together a former police chief, an indigenous advocate, and a former white supremacist to discuss preventing violence through collaborative approaches.
Religious Literacy: Examining how ignorance and misinformation drive religious conflict, and how education can promote understanding and harmony.
Supply Chain Ethics: “Forced Labor, Trade Bans and Supply Chains: Do Import Restrictions Work?” revealed that 52 enforcement orders blocking imports have prompted companies to improve transparency and led countries like Malaysia to implement better worker protections.
Our podcast also continued to grow, with 528 video views on YouTube and 311 audio listens across other platforms, totaling 835 engaged listeners. Featured guests included Audrey Kitagawa discussing faith-led humanitarian work, Yashika Singh on interfaith collaboration, and Christina Tobias-Nahi on Islamic Relief’s global impact.
Looking Ahead to 2026
As we close the chapter on 2025, we do so with gratitude for our growing network of supporters, partners, and advocates. IF20 Vice President Katherine Marshall reminded us in her message in the year-end report to reject “NATO”—No Action, Talk Only—in favor of “ADVANCE”: Accountability, Determination, Vision, Action, Now, Compassion, and Empowerment.
This call to action guides our vision for 2026, which promises to be an even more significant year for interfaith collaboration and global impact. With our president, W. Cole Durham Jr., returning to full involvement after health challenges in 2025, and with the momentum we’ve built through our expanded digital presence, strategic partnerships, and proven track record of meaningful engagement, we are positioned to amplify interfaith voices on the global stage.
The protea flower teaches us that beauty and strength can emerge from adversity, and that unity creates something greater than the sum of its parts. As we enter 2026, IF20 remains committed to embodying these principles, bringing diverse faith communities together to build a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world.
The complete 2025 year-end report is available on the IF20 website and at forum events. We invite you to explore the full document to learn more about our work and join us in advancing interfaith collaboration for global good.