President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa is pressing ahead with securing a G20 leaders declaration this weekend, despite the withdrawal of the United States from the summit process and its warning that it will not support any joint outcome. Ramaphosa insists the country will not allow itself to be pressured and remains confident that negotiations are progressing well.
He spoke in Boksburg on Thursday after receiving the declaration from the G20 Social Summit and said discussions among officials were nearing completion.
United States Warns It Will Block Consensus Declaration
Tensions escalated earlier on Thursday after reports that the United States had formally warned South Africa against issuing a joint declaration at the Johannesburg summit. Washington told Pretoria that it would not participate in preparatory meetings and would not support any document presented as a collective G20 position.
According to Bloomberg News, which reviewed the diplomatic communication, the United States argued that some of South Africa’s priorities for the summit conflict with its policy positions. The note stated that any document issued under South Africa’s presidency should be framed as a chair’s statement rather than a consensus declaration.
Pretoria Determined To Secure Agreement
Despite the United States stance, South Africa is continuing its efforts to reach a unified statement when the two day summit concludes on Sunday. Government officials have stressed throughout the week that they do not intend to end the gathering without a declaration.
International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola reiterated earlier that a formal declaration remains a priority. South Africa has sought to advance an agenda that follows the work of recent G20 hosts from the Global South, including Indonesia, India and Brazil.
Historic Summit Marked by Boycott
The Johannesburg summit is the first G20 meeting to be hosted on African soil and was expected to highlight the continent’s rising influence in global decision making. However, the United States boycott has created uncertainty about whether members will sign a joint statement covering issues such as climate finance, sustainable development and debt relief.
If Washington’s position holds, the outcome is likely to be presented as a chair’s statement reflecting only the perspective of the host country rather than a shared view of all members.
Presidency Hand Over Approaching
The summit will conclude on Sunday, after which South Africa will prepare to hand over the G20 presidency to the United States in December. Addressing delegates on Thursday afternoon, Ramaphosa said South Africa entered its presidency committed to promoting equality, solidarity and sustainability, and noted that most G20 members had supported these principles over the past year.
He told participants from the G20 Social Summit that their contribution would help guide discussions among world leaders this weekend as they set the direction for the coming year.
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