JOHANNESBURG: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the Johannesburg G20 summit a decisive victory for multilateralism, even as the United States boycotted the meeting and objected to key agenda items. Ramaphosa said the final declaration, adopted by all attendees except Argentina, demonstrated that global “shared goals outweigh our differences,” highlighting renewed commitment to collective action on climate, debt relief, and sustainable development.
The U.S. absence, driven by President Donald Trump’s claims widely discredited that South Africa’s Black-majority government persecutes its white minority, cast a shadow over the high-stakes gathering. Washington also rejected South Africa’s push to expand climate adaptation finance and support developing nations transitioning to clean energy.
Still, Ramaphosa secured consensus on strong climate language, ambitious renewable energy targets, and calls to ease the crushing debt burdens of poorer countries. The summit unfolded amid rising tensions over Russia’s war in Ukraine and the collapse of COP30 negotiations in Brazil, where major fossil fuel producers blocked references to the role of oil and gas in the climate crisis.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the G20 and COP30 showed that multilateral cooperation “remains alive,” a sentiment echoed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who noted Washington’s absence left it playing “only a minor role” in shaping the global agenda.
A diplomatic spat also emerged over the G20 presidency handover. South Africa rejected a U.S. plan to send an embassy official instead of Trump, calling it a breach of protocol. Pretoria says it has received no formal communication from Washington but remains open to dialogue.
Despite the tension, Lamola said South Africa considered it a major achievement that the declaration explicitly recognised the need for expanded climate finance for developing nations. On the sidelines, leaders also discussed the Russia-Ukraine war and Trump’s proposed settlement plan—a debate expected to continue in follow-up meetings.
-Nellie Madubela
