The 20th Group of Twenty (G20) Summit, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on November 22-23, 2025, marked a watershed moment in global governance, as world leaders from both developed and developing nations came together to adopt a sweeping declaration—despite a high-profile boycott by the United States. The summit, themed “Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability,” was the first of its kind to be held on African soil and underscored the continent’s growing influence on the world stage.
South Africa, which assumed the rotating G20 presidency on December 1, 2024, became the first African nation to hold this pivotal position. As noted by Xinhua, the summit’s 122-point declaration, titled "G20 South Africa Summit: Leaders' Declaration," emphasized the urgent need to strengthen multilateralism and foster more equitable global governance. It called for addressing global challenges—including disaster resilience, debt sustainability, just energy transitions, and the management of critical minerals—through multilateral cooperation, while urging stronger support for developing countries to achieve inclusive growth and sustainable development.
However, the unity on display was not without its cracks. The United States, citing a host of grievances, notably boycotted the summit and refused to endorse any outcome document as a G20 consensus without its explicit consent. According to The Guardian and Straits Times, Washington’s absence was driven by disputes over South Africa's domestic policies, including the Expropriation Act signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa in January 2025, which the U.S. alleged discriminated against white South Africans. South Africa has vehemently denied these allegations, labeling them as unfounded and failing to recognize the country’s painful history of colonialism and apartheid.
The diplomatic standoff escalated throughout 2025. The U.S. froze development assistance to South Africa, expelled the South African ambassador, and in August slapped a 30 percent tariff on South African goods—the highest rate faced by any sub-Saharan African nation. Observers, as reported by Xinhua, traced the souring of relations to December 2023, when South Africa brought a case before the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, further irritating Washington.
Despite these tensions, the summit pressed forward, with South African officials making it clear they would not allow the absence of a single member—no matter how powerful—to undermine the collective process. "We cannot allow coercion by absentia to become a viable tactic," Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), told reporters. "It is a recipe for institutional paralysis and the breakdown of collective action."
President Ramaphosa, in his opening remarks, set the tone for the gathering: "It is an honor and a privilege to welcome you all to the first G20 Leaders' Summit to be held on African soil. We gather here at the Cradle of Humankind to affirm our common humanity. We gather here to affirm the value of partnership and cooperation, to finding common solutions to shared problems." According to the summit’s official transcript, Ramaphosa underscored the value and relevance of multilateralism, adding, "The adoption of the declaration from the summit sends an important signal to the world that multilateralism can and does deliver. It sends a message of hope and solidarity."
Among the declaration’s highlights were renewed commitments to the Paris Agreement’s climate goals and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The leaders also reaffirmed their dedication to gender equality, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The declaration welcomed the outcomes of the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women held in Beijing in October, aiming to carry forward the spirit of the original Beijing conference.
With the United States absent, South Africa rejected the White House’s offer to send only its charge d’affaires for the G20 presidency handover, insisting instead on adherence to established diplomatic protocols. "America chose to boycott the summit. That is their choice and that is their prerogative to do so. But what cannot happen is a breach of protocol being forced," Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for President Ramaphosa, told media. He added, "The mere fact that we have an agreed declaration shows that the world is embracing multilateralism, and the world is embracing cooperation and collaboration."
The absence of the U.S. did not prevent other major players from stepping up. Chinese Premier Li Qiang, addressing the first session of the summit, called on G20 economies to stay committed to solidarity, uphold free trade, and build an open world economy in the face of a sluggish global recovery. As Xinhua reported, Li stressed the importance of handling disputes through consultation on the basis of equality, and reiterated China’s support for Africa’s development agenda. China’s active participation throughout the year—attending every G20 event and backing African initiatives—was widely noted. Li announced that China had released an action plan for supporting industrialization in Africa and least developed countries, and would establish the Institute of Global Development to further these goals.
He Wenping, a director at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told Global Times that China’s tangible support had ensured Africa’s legitimate demands were heard and translated into real results at the G20. "China has truly been the most reliable and powerful pillar behind both this G20 summit and Africa's broader development agenda," He said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking at a press conference in Johannesburg on November 23, 2025, echoed the sentiment that the world could move forward even in the absence of U.S. leadership. As reported by AFP and South China Morning Post, Carney observed, "The summit brought together nations representing three-quarters of the world’s population, two-thirds of global GDP and three-quarters of the world’s trade, and that’s without the United States formally attending. It’s a reminder that the centre of gravity in the global economy is shifting." Carney, who took office earlier in 2025 after campaigning against U.S. tariffs on Canada, detailed his efforts to strengthen ties with countries such as South Africa, India, and China.
Analysts, including those cited by BBC and Reuters, saw the successful adoption of the declaration as a demonstration that the G20 can reach consensus even without its most powerful member. Some suggested that the U.S. boycott might prompt developing countries to deepen their cooperation with China and other emerging powers, further accelerating the shift in global economic influence.
Frank Lekaba, a senior lecturer at the University of Witwatersrand, hailed the declaration as a win for Africa, noting that it reasserted the centrality and legitimacy of the G20 under South Africa’s presidency. The summit, he argued, was a pivotal opportunity for the continent to shine a spotlight on its priorities and secure a more prominent place in global governance.
As the summit concluded, the handover of the G20 presidency to the United States—scheduled for December 1, 2025—remained fraught with diplomatic tension. South Africa insisted that protocol be respected, declining to hand over leadership to a junior embassy official and instead inviting the U.S. to collect the presidency from DIRCO offices. For many, this episode symbolized the broader realignment underway in international affairs.
The Johannesburg summit ultimately sent a clear message: global cooperation can—and must—continue, even in the face of discord. With Africa at the helm, the G20 delivered a bold affirmation of multilateralism and a decisive step toward a more inclusive, multipolar world order.