G20 Summit in South Africa Adopts Declaration on Climate and Global Challenges

A Group of 20 leaders’ summit in South Africa adopted a declaration addressing the climate crisis and other global challenges on Saturday after it was drafted without U.S. input.

“We had the entire year of working towards this adoption and the past week has been quite intense,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson told reporters.

Ramaphosa, host of this weekend’s gathering of Group of 20 leaders in Johannesburg, had earlier said there was “overwhelming consensus” for a summit declaration.

G20 envoys drew up a draft leaders’ declaration on Friday without U.S. involvement, four sources familiar with the matter said.

“We should not allow anything to diminish the value, the stature and the impact of the first African G20 presidency,” Ramaphosa said.

The United States will host the G20 in 2026 and Ramaphosa said he would have to hand over the rotating presidency to an “empty chair”. The South African presidency has rejected a U.S. offer to send the U.S. charge d’affaires for the G20 handover.