G20 envoys have agreed on a draft leaders' declaration ahead of the Johannesburg summit, excluding US input due to a boycott. The draft includes references to climate change, defying objections from the Trump administration. South Africa, as host, pushes forward with its agenda on global solidarity and development despite the tensions.
Ahead of the November 22-23, 2025, G20 summit in Johannesburg—the first on African soil—envoys from member nations agreed on a draft leaders' declaration without participation from the United States, according to four sources familiar with the matter. The US administration under President Donald Trump has indicated it will boycott the event over disagreements with host nation South Africa.
Trump cited debunked allegations that South Africa's Black majority government persecutes its white minority as a reason for not attending. He also rejected the host's agenda, which promotes solidarity and aids developing nations in adapting to worsening weather disasters, transitioning to clean energy, and reducing excessive debt costs. Recently, Trump described climate change as a 'con job' and did not send a delegation to the COP30 summit in Brazil.
The draft declaration notably includes references to 'climate change,' defying US objections to any such mentions. A senior Trump administration official called the move 'shameful,' stating: 'It is a longstanding G20 tradition to issue only consensus deliverables, and it is shameful that the South African government is now trying to depart from this standard practice despite our repeated objections.' Details of the declaration's contents remain undisclosed, and it is unclear what concessions were made to secure agreement, particularly on climate language.
Three of South Africa's four top agenda items—preparing for climate-induced disasters, financing green energy transitions, and ensuring benefits from critical minerals for producers—center on climate issues. President Cyril Ramaphosa noted on Thursday that South Africa was discussing possible US participation with the nation set to host in 2026, though the White House denied this. Ramaphosa had earlier accepted the possibility of an 'empty chair' handover. The White House offered to send the US charge d'affaires for the handover, but South Africa's presidency rejected it.
Analysts view the US absence as a challenge but an opportunity for South Africa to advance its multilateral agenda amid Trump's hostility to such diplomacy.