With the absence of the United States, which boycotted the event, the G20 summit, held in Johannesburg on November 22 and 23, aimed to send a clear signal: multilateralism is still alive, and the world cannot be held hostage by the world’s leading power. To achieve this, South Africa, which became the first African country to host the summit, broke with tradition.

Traditionally, a joint statement by the heads of state is adopted at the end of the summit. This time, it was approved at the start. On Saturday, November 22, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the declaration had been adopted at the opening of the discussions, with the backing of many delegations.

This was a clear message to Washington, whose administration signaled that it was opposed to adopting such a declaration in its absence. It also marked a diplomatic victory for South Africa, which has faced hostility from the Trump administration that worked throughout the year to undermine South Africa’s G20 presidency.

While Pretoria had pledged to put the priorities of developing countries at the forefront of the G20 agenda, the declaration focused in particular on debt sustainability and support for countries affected by climate disasters. Its adoption “reaffirms our renewed commitment to multilateral cooperation and our recognition that our shared goals outweigh our differences,” the South African president said at the close of the summit.

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