The Group of 20 (G20) leaders’ summit in Johannesburg adopted a landmark declaration on Saturday (Nov 22), emphasizing urgent climate action, renewable energy targets, and support for heavily indebted developing economies. But the document’s path to approval has exposed one of the sharpest diplomatic rifts in the forum’s recent history, after it was drafted and finalized without the participation of the United States.
According to South African officials, the declaration was completed after a year of preparations and an especially intense week of final negotiations. “We had the entire year of working towards this adoption and the past week has been quite intense,” President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson told reporters. The spokesperson added that the text “cannot be renegotiated,” underscoring Pretoria’s determination to move ahead despite Washington’s objections.
A White House official denounced the process as “shameful,” highlighting Washington’s frustration at being excluded from the drafting process. But four diplomats familiar with the talks said G20 envoys finalized the declaration on Friday without US involvement after it became clear that American objections — especially regarding climate language — were irreconcilable.
The document uses language the Trump administration has long rejected, including references to the “seriousness of climate change” and the need for stronger adaptation strategies. It also commends countries that have set “ambitious renewable energy targets” and acknowledges the staggering debt burdens that prevent poorer nations from investing in climate resilience.
For many delegations, the inclusion of explicit language on the climate crisis was non-negotiable. But for Washington, it was a red line. President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned the scientific consensus that human activity drives global warming. US officials had signaled early in the process that they would oppose any mention of climate change in the final text.
The decision to move forward without Washington signals a rare moment where the G20 — traditionally reliant on consensus — opted to adopt a declaration even in the face of objections from one of its most influential members.
Opening the summit, President Ramaphosa said there had been “overwhelming consensus” among member states to adopt the declaration as one of the gathering’s first formal tasks. He praised delegates for working “in good faith” and urged leaders not to “allow anything to diminish the value, the stature and the impact of the first African G20 presidency.”
South Africa, the first African nation to host the G20, has positioned climate solidarity and support for developing nations at the center of its presidency. The declaration mirrors these priorities by highlighting the vulnerability of poorer countries to extreme weather, rising temperatures, and unsustainable debt.
Ramaphosa has repeatedly argued that global economic governance must reflect the needs of the developing world — a message that resonated strongly with most G20 members but clashed with the Trump administration’s skepticism toward multilateral climate initiatives.
Tensions were further heightened by the United States’ decision to boycott the summit entirely. President Trump announced that no senior US officials would attend, citing allegations — widely dismissed internationally — that South Africa’s black-led government was persecuting its white minority. The claim, rejected across the political spectrum in South Africa, has been used repeatedly by Trump in recent months.
The boycott cast a shadow over what was meant to be a historic moment for Pretoria, which sought to showcase South Africa’s ability to drive consensus across geopolitical divides. Without US participation, some analysts feared the summit could lose momentum or legitimacy, but most delegations opted to stand by South Africa’s agenda.
The absence of US officials also created a logistical and symbolic dilemma for the traditional G20 presidency handover ceremony. The United States will host the G20 in 2026, but Ramaphosa remarked that he would have to pass the presidency to an “empty chair.”
South Africa has rejected Washington’s offer to send its chargé d’affaires for the ceremony, insisting that such an important tradition requires the presence of senior officials. The impasse highlights how deeply the rift between Pretoria and Washington has grown over the course of the summit.
The adoption of the declaration without US endorsement raises questions about how the G20 will function in an era of widening geopolitical fractures. While the forum lacks the formal voting structures of an international organization, it has historically operated on the basis of unanimity. Saturday’s development suggests that members may be willing to move ahead even when consensus is blocked by political disputes.
For African nations and many developing economies, the declaration marks a significant achievement — a demonstration that their priorities can shape global economic governance even when major powers balk.
But for Washington, the episode reflects what it sees as a hostile diplomatic environment shaped by leaders and agendas at odds with its own. With the US set to host the G20 in 2026, the implications of this clash may reverberate for years.
