South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa opened the Group of 20 (G20) foreign ministers meeting with a call for “cooperation” amid geopolitical tensions and “rising intolerance.”
Top diplomats from the world’s largest economies gathered in Johannesburg for the two-day talks. The meeting was held for the first time in Africa and was overshadowed by the absence of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola praised the meeting as a success, dismissing suggestions that Rubio’s absence signaled a U.S. boycott of the gathering.
“The US is here, but they’re not here at the political level, not with ministers. If he had come, he would have met almost all his colleagues because we had a very good turnout of other ministers. He missed a good meeting, and I think [his absence] sends a signal of reduced interest in global affairs from the US,” Eide said.
The U.S. was represented by the deputy chief of mission at its South African embassy.
The two-day meeting focused on pressing geopolitical issues, including ongoing tensions between Pretoria and Washington over the interpretation of South Africa’s land policy. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide called Rubio’s absence “regrettable,” saying it reflected a decline in U.S. engagement in global affairs.
On Friday, Lamola delivered the chairperson’s summary, confirming that G20 foreign ministers have endorsed South Africa’s Presidency priorities.
These include sustainable development, debt sustainability for low-income countries, and reforms to global financial governance.
“The South African Presidency took note of the fruitful discussions and inputs on the various priorities and high-level deliverables. We look forward to the active participation and contributions of all your delegations,” Lamola said.
The meeting reaffirmed the G20’s role as the leading forum for international economic cooperation, emphasizing collective responsibility in fostering sustainable and inclusive global growth.
The discussions also outlined key focus areas under three task forces:
- Task Force One: Inclusive economic growth, industrialisation, employment, and reducing inequality.
- Task Force Two: Food security.
- Task Force Three: Artificial intelligence, data governance, and sustainable development innovation.
Lamola also introduced additional initiatives, including a review of the G20’s work, a cost of capital assessment, a broadened Compact with Africa 2.0, and a new initiative on critical minerals.
The G20 consists of 19 countries, along with the African Union (AU) and European Union (EU), and accounts for more than 80% of the global economy and two-thirds of the world population. The foreign ministers of China, Russia, France and the UK were among those attending the meeting in Johannesburg.
In his opening address, Ramaphosa said that an “already fragile global coexistence” was threatened by rising intolerance, conflicts and climate change.
“Yet there is a lack of consensus among major powers, including in the G20, on how to respond to these issues of global significance,” Ramaphosa said.
On trade and economic reform, Ambassador Xolisa Mabhongo highlighted the need for changes in global governance, particularly the international financial architecture and multilateral trading system.
“Within the G20, there is strong recognition that the current regime of international trade under the World Trade Organization is not functioning optimally. There is a general consensus among G20 members to improve the trading system,” Mabhongo said.
South Africa holds the G20 presidency until November 2025, when it is expected to hand it over to the U.S.
