Johannesburg – The G20 Leaders Summit in Johannesburg concluded today with member states adopting a joint declaration despite the absence of the United States, a development that drew strong regional interest across Southern Africa, including Eswatini, given the summit’s focus on global debt, climate challenges and multilateral cooperation.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed the adoption unintentionally when his microphone remained on after his opening remarks. He had asked delegates to signal their support for the document and, judging from his comments, there was agreement among attending leaders. The declaration was later confirmed during a briefing by his spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, who spoke to the media at the Sandton Convention Centre.
Magwenya told journalists that the summit had formally adopted the declaration on Saturday and added that the US decision to stay away would not disrupt procedural matters. He clarified that the presidency of the bloc would not be handed to a junior American official or embassy representative, noting that the G20 had never operated in that manner.
While the detailed content of the declaration was not released, diplomats close to the negotiations said it touched on climate concerns, just energy transition and the growing debt burden borne by states in the Global South. These topics have been widely debated across the region, including in Eswatini, where rising debt and climate vulnerability remain key policy issues.
More than 40 heads of state and government attended the gathering. Among them were British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Angolan President João Lourenço and Namibian President Dr Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah.
Ramaphosa told delegates that leaders had aligned on four broad priorities for the coming year. The first focuses on strengthening global disaster resilience and ensuring swift reconstruction support. He said governments, development banks and the private sector must work more closely on post disaster recovery.
The second priority seeks to improve debt sustainability for low income countries. South Africa urged renewed collective action on the matter, especially for African nations. During the closed session, Italy announced a commitment to halve the debt of low income states over the next decade and convert African debt into long term investments.
The third priority involves mobilising finance for a just energy transition, with developing economies needing greater access to climate funding. The fourth centres on increasing value addition to critical minerals in countries where they are mined, a topic of particular importance to mineral rich Southern Africa.
Ramaphosa said the adoption of the declaration signals renewed commitment to multilateral cooperation and collective problem solving. Leaders at the summit voiced strong support for South Africa as host, even as the gathering proceeded without participation from US President Donald Trump.
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