G20 Ignores Washington; Draft Statement Finalized Without US Participation

Tehran - BORNA - Four informed sources announced on Friday that representatives of the G20 countries agreed on a draft Leaders’ Declaration ahead of this week's summit in Johannesburg, without the involvement of the United States.

The administration of US President Donald Trump announced that it would boycott the November 22-23 summit due to disagreements with the host country, South Africa.

Trump had stated that he would not attend the first G20 summit in Africa due to claims—which have been widely refuted—that the host country's Black majority government is persecuting its White minority. He has also rejected the host country's agenda, which focuses on promoting solidarity and helping developing nations adapt to worsening climate disasters, transition to clean energy, and reduce the costs of their heavy debts.

An informed source told Reuters that G20 countries, in opposition to Washington, included references to "climate change" in the draft declaration, but provided no further details. The United States had previously objected to any mention of climate change.

White House Calls Draft Statement "Shameful"

Meanwhile, a senior Trump administration official said: "It is a long-standing tradition in the G20 to only publish agreed-upon outcomes, and it is shameful that the South African government is now trying to abandon this standard practice despite our repeated protests."

While some analysts were concerned that the non-participation of its most powerful member would lead to a failure to issue a statement at the G20, they still saw an opportunity for the South African hosts, who were determined to set an agenda for world leaders despite Trump's hostility towards multilateral diplomacy.

According to Reuters, the sources declined to provide details on the content of the statement, and it is unclear what concessions had to be made regarding the tone and language of the declaration to secure everyone's agreement.

Three of the four main data-x-items planned on South Africa's agenda—readiness for climate-related disasters, financing the transition to green energy, and ensuring that the rush for critical minerals benefits producers—were mainly related to climate change.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday that South Africa was negotiating with the United States—which will host the G20 in 2026—regarding its potential participation in the summit, although the White House later denied this.

Ramaphosa had previously stated that he would refuse to hand over responsibility to an "empty chair." The White House announced on Thursday that it would send the US Chargé d'Affaires to hand over the G20 responsibility, a proposal that the South African presidency rejected.

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