Africa is hosting the G20 summit for the first time in its modern history, commencing in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday, November 22, 2025. Reuters reports on the details of the gathering in South Africa.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is leading the summit, which will last for two days, and has invited leaders from 12 additional countries to participate in various meetings and forums.
However, there will be no American delegation at the negotiations. The U.S. administration has announced a boycott of the meeting due to disagreements with the host country, which, according to President Donald Trump, is persecuting its white minority.
Leaders from China and Russia will also be absent – China has sent Premier Li Qiang, while a deputy to Putin will lead the Russian delegation.
South Africa, which has been chairing the G20 since December 1, 2024, has defined solidarity, equality, and resilience as the fundamental principles of its presidency. The main agenda items include supporting developing nations in adapting to climate change, transitioning to clean energy, and reducing excessive debt burdens.
In preparation for the summit, South Africa has conducted over 130 meetings to develop pathways for achieving the organization’s goals and solidifying decisions in a joint declaration.
The question of whether South Africa will achieve a shared declaration remains open and widely debated ahead of the meeting, although hours before its official start, reports emerged that G20 envoys had agreed on a draft declaration without U.S. involvement.
Notably, despite Washington's objections, G20 nations included a mention of combating climate change in the draft declaration.
South Africa's presidency of the G20 will conclude with the end of the summit, after which it will transition to the United States.
Ramaphosa previously stated he had resigned himself to transferring power to a «vacant seat». On Thursday, the White House announced it would send a temporary chargé d'affaires to South Africa for the handover at the G20 summit, but the South African side rejected this proposal.
