G20 summit boycotted by US closes in South Africa

The G20 summit in South Africa, a gathering of the world’s major economies, concluded with a joint declaration committing to “multilateral cooperation.”

The declaration, which covered mitigation of climate change and economic inequality, was adopted despite objections from the United States, which boycotted the meeting in Johannesburg.

Speaking at the closing ceremony on Sunday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the agreement showed that “common goals” outweighed the differences between the two countries.

US President Donald Trump chose to abstain from voting in the G20 due to… A widely discredited claim that South Africa’s white minority is the victim of widespread killings and land grabbing.

This was the first time that the G20 summit was held in Africa. Indonesia, India and Brazil have led the summit over the past three years.

The United States is scheduled to host the G20 in 2026, and the summit is expected to be held at Trump’s golf course in Florida.

The presidential handover ceremony, which was scheduled to take place at the end of the summit on Sunday, did not take place.

This is expected to take place next week with the participation of junior officials.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said “it didn’t matter much” that Trump was not attending, adding that multilateralism had become “more vital than ever.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that the US abstention from voting was not a “good decision.”

He told Reuters news agency that what he observed at the G20 is that “the world is currently going through a process of reorganization and new connections are being formed.”

Delegates also reached consensus on working towards “a just, comprehensive and lasting peace” in Ukraine, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the “occupied Palestinian territories.”

The inclusion of Sudan is important, according to Sudanese commentator and journalist Saeed Abdullah.

“I think for the first time, [at] The G20 is now bringing conflict into Sudan [to the forefront] “More than two years later,” he told local radio station Newzroom Afrika.