South Africa has declared the latest G20 summit a strong affirmation of global cooperation, even as the United States chose not to attend.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday that the joint declaration adopted at the Johannesburg meeting signaled a “renewed commitment to multilateral cooperation,” marking the conclusion of a summit that placed him at odds with the U.S. administration, according to Reuters
As host of the November 22–23 gathering, Ramaphosa succeeded in pushing through a declaration focused on issues such as the climate crisis, despite objections from the United States, which boycotted the summit.
During the closing ceremony, he emphasized that the outcome showed world leaders’ “shared goals outweigh our differences.”
U.S. President Donald Trump refused to attend, citing allegations, widely disproven, that South Africa’s Black-led government discriminates against its white minority.
His absence highlighted broader tensions, including Washington’s rejection of South Africa’s push to support developing countries in transitioning to clean energy, easing their debt burdens, and coping with climate-related disasters.
Nevertheless, Ramaphosa achieved broad consensus among the leaders present, with only Argentina abstaining from supporting the declaration but not objecting to its adoption.
As the first G20 summit held on African soil, the final document included language long disfavored by the U.S. administration, underscoring the severity of climate change, endorsing ambitious renewable energy goals, and criticizing the heavy debt servicing faced by poorer nations.
The summit unfolded as global divisions sharpened over Russia’s war in Ukraine and followed unsuccessful climate negotiations at COP30 in Brazil, where major oil-producing and high-consuming countries blocked references to fossil fuels as a driver of the climate crisis.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Sunday that both gatherings proved “multilateralism was very much alive.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz noted that the United States “was mentioned only in passing” during the summit and played “only a minor role as new connections are being forged and the world reorganises itself.”
He added, “It wasn’t a good decision for the American government to be absent. But that’s something the American government has to decide for itself.”
Tensions between Pretoria and Washington sharpened further when South Africa rejected a U.S. proposal to send an embassy official to assume the G20 presidency on Trump’s behalf, calling it a violation of diplomatic protocol.
The White House has accused Ramaphosa of obstructing a smooth transition of the presidency, but South African officials dispute that claim.
“We have not yet received any formal communication at this stage,” Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told reporters on Sunday.
“But we remain open … It’s up to them.” Lamola said it was a significant achievement that the declaration acknowledged the importance of climate finance for developing countries.
Beyond the declaration, world leaders used the summit to address the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and Trump’s proposal for ending the war in separate discussions on the sidelines, marking the first in a series of meetings expected over the coming days.
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Image Credit: RFI
