Despite the United States absence from the meeting, South Africa moved forward with its G20 summit agenda on Saturday, saying that leaders had agreed a communiqué.
A spokesman for President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged the development, stating that months of talks had resulted in a final draft. It cannot be renegotiated.
The spokesperson told reporters, "We have been working toward this adoption for the entire year, and the last week has been really intense."
The beginning of the first G20 summit held on African soil was clouded by the U.S. boycott, which was motivated by allegations that South Africa's Black majority government persecutes white individuals.
These assertions were rejected by the country and highly disregarded globally. However, South African officials maintained that attempts to reach an agreement would not be hampered by the absence.
Sources claimed that G20 envoys had already finalized a draft proclamation ahead of the summit's beginning without consulting the United States, a move that a senior White House official mocked as "shameful."
Despite criticism from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has questioned the scientific consensus on human caused global warming, the draft text kept references to climate change.
"There's been overwhelming consensus and agreement that one of the other tasks we should undertake right at the beginning is to adopt our declaration," Ramaphosa told the delegates in his opening remarks.
"We should not allow anything to diminish the value, the stature, and the impact of the first African G20 presidency," he continued, thanking member nations for working "in good faith to produce a worthy G20 outcome document."
Washington's opposition to South Africa's climate focused agenda was another factor in its decision to abstain from the summit.
Trump has retaliated against the host country's focus on assisting developing nations in lowering their borrowing costs, transitioning to clean energy, and preparing for climate related calamities.
Because of this position, the United States was against the communiqué's mention of climate change or renewable energy.
It's unclear what concessions were required to get Saturday's agreement because a number of other members have a history of avoiding strong rhetoric on climate.
Climate policy is directly related to three of South Africa's four main agenda items: ensuring producers gain from essential minerals, financing the green transition, and climate resilience. The fourth focuses on creating a more equitable international credit structure for developing countries.
Ramaphosa's attempts to position South Africa as a champion of multilateral diplomacy were hampered by the boycott. However, some speculate that the United States absence may have made it easier for other participants to support the host's objectives.
Although Ramaphosa stated that this year he would be transferring leadership responsibilities to a "empty chair," South Africa will transfer the G20 chairmanship to the United States in 2026. Washington offered to send its chargé d'affaires to represent the president during the handover, but Pretoria turned it down.
The bloc's commitment to multilateralism is reaffirmed in the agreed declaration, which emphasizes the necessity of "strengthening multilateral cooperation" in light of growing geopolitical divisions and escalating global threats.
The G20's position on major conflicts was also outlined by leaders, who declared that they "will work for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace" in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the occupied Palestinian territory, and Ukraine. This broad diplomatic sweep reflects the priorities of the African presidency.
The text made extensive reference to climate change, with members acknowledging "the urgency and seriousness" of the situation and endorsing initiatives to triple the world's capacity for renewable energy.
In line with South Africa's fight for climate justice, the proclamation also emphasises how large scale disasters are becoming more common and disproportionately affect disadvantaged populations, exacerbating poverty and inequality.
While recognising that excessive debt levels continue to be a significant barrier to inclusive growth in developing economies, the G20 committed to bolstering implementation of the Common Framework for Debt Treatments "in a predictable, timely, orderly, and coordinated manner."
The proclamation highlights the importance of financial reform and relief by noting with worry that interest payments on external debt for poorer nations have more than doubled over the previous ten years.
The declaration also highlights the strategic significance of key minerals, contending that rather than being restricted to raw material exports, these resources should promote value addition and broad-based growth.
Despite Washington's absence from this year's summit, nations pledged to cooperate under the US chair of the G20 in 2026 a hint to continuity in global economic governance.
