The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) has thrown its weight behind President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address to the 80th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, calling his speech a vindication of its long-standing positions on global justice, economic restructuring, and youth empowerment.

In a statement issued this week, the ANCYL said the President’s message “resonates with the long-standing positions of the ANCYL in advancing the struggle for a just, equitable and people-centred world order.” The league praised Ramaphosa for reaffirming South Africa’s commitment to anti-imperialism and the transformation of international governance, noting that the United Nations, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund “continue to reflect the dominance of former colonial powers” and must be reshaped to serve the Global South.

On trade and industry, the ANCYL aligned itself with the President’s call for fairer systems, rejecting the role of Africa as merely a supplier of raw materials while its youth remain locked out of opportunity. “Africa must industrialise, add value to its resources and create opportunities for its youth,” the league said, warning against entrenched patterns of de-industrialisation and joblessness.

The organisation also backed Ramaphosa’s appeal for climate justice, refusing to let African youth shoulder “the burden of an ecological crisis caused by the greed of developed nations”. It further echoed his position on Palestine, stressing that international peace cannot exist while “colonial occupation and imperial wars persist.”

Alongside these global concerns, the Youth League has been sharpening its domestic agenda. In closing remarks at its 2nd National General Council, held a fortnight ago, ANCYL President Collen Malatji declared the nationalisation of mines, banks, and other strategic sectors to be “non-negotiable”. He insisted that the commanding heights of the economy must be placed under full state ownership and control “for the benefit of the people”.

Taken together, the two statements reveal a Youth League determined to marry its internationalist posture with radical economic transformation at home. While Ramaphosa projected South Africa’s voice on fair trade, climate, and peace, the ANCYL used the moment to underline its own demand for systemic change that would see the state seize direct control of key industries.

The league closed its UN statement with a militant pledge: “We declare that our generation will not be spectators. We will take forward the struggle for a transformed world order that prioritises justice, peace and equality.” With Malatji’s nationalisation call alongside its embrace of Ramaphosa’s message, the ANCYL is positioning itself as both ally and pressure point within the broader ANC.