South Africa Asserts Strong Consensus on G20 Declaration Despite U.S. Boycott

South Africa, host of the 2025 G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, announced on Saturday that there is “overwhelming consensus” among participating nations to adopt a joint summit declaration — even though the United States is largely absent from the event.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, leading this first-ever African G20 presidency, made the declaration after extensive negotiations with other member states. He emphasized that the absence of the U.S. will not derail the process of reaching meaningful, multilateral outcomes.

Washington’s non-participation stems from deep disagreements with South Africa’s agenda. U.S. officials, under President Donald Trump, raised objections to key themes — in particular, language on climate change, the financing of a green energy transition, and more equitable borrowing systems for low-income countries.

Business Day

In a diplomatic communication sent to Pretoria earlier this month, the U.S. made clear it “cannot support consensus on any documents negotiated under your presidency.”
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The note proposed that any public statement from the summit be framed only as a “Chair’s Statement,” rather than a full consensus declaration, in reflection of Washington’s absence.

Despite this pushback, South African officials remained firm. According to Ramaphosa, other G20 delegations have worked in “good faith” to produce a substantive outcome.

G20 envoys reportedly agreed on a draft declaration prior to the leaders’ summit, even without U.S. input.

Deputy voices in the South African government have echoed the president’s resolve. Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Minister in the Presidency, downplayed U.S. absence, arguing that it may have actually helped South Africa build stronger momentum toward consensus.

Meanwhile, other South African officials have publicly rejected the notion that the U.S., by boycotting the summit, retains a veto over its outcomes.

Ramaphosa characterized the move to adopt a declaration as essential to the summit’s legitimacy and impact. “We should not allow anything to diminish the value, the stature and the impact of the first African G20 presidency,” he said.

For South Africa, three of the summit’s four top priorities — preparing for climate-induced disasters, supporting a just transition to clean energy, and ensuring that critical mineral extraction benefits producing countries — are deeply tied to climate policy.

The fourth concern centers on reforming international borrowing systems to be fairer to poorer nations.

The diplomatic rift with the U.S. has not gone unnoticed. In response to Ramaphosa’s comments, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed his remarks, suggesting the South African leader was overstating U.S. willingness to engage.