🔗 Share this article Cyril Ramaphosa Wraps Up G20 Summit Amid American Withdrawal and Transition Controversy The leader of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa officially closed the Group of Twenty meeting in Johannesburg by striking a gavel, after rejecting a American suggestion for him to transfer authority to a lower-ranking embassy official for the next summit in Florida. Event Overshadowed by US Boycott South Africa presented the 48-hour conference as a victory for global cooperation, but it was diminished by a boycott by the US, which has repeatedly accused South Africa of discriminating against white-minority Afrikaners—a claim that has been broadly refuted. “We have gathered in the face of major obstacles and demonstrated our ability to come together, even in periods of hardship, to strive for global improvement,” Ramaphosa stated in his final address. Wrapping up his speech, he announced: “This gavel of this G20 summit officially concludes this summit and now moves on to the subsequent leader of the G20, which is the United States, where we shall reconvene next year.” This was Ramaphosa’s only mention of the country missing from the gathering of the world’s largest economies. G20 Declaration Focuses On Global Warming and Equal Rights The G20 released a statement on Saturday emphasizing the need to tackle climate change and achieve “gender equality.” The Trump government had withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement on the first day of his second term and has reversed many policies designed to tackle sexism, racism and homophobia. White House Response White House spokesperson Anna Kelly claimed the president of “declining to enable a smooth transition of the G20 presidency.” “This, combined with South Africa’s effort to release a G20 leaders’ declaration, notwithstanding repeated and strong American opposition, highlights the reality that they have exploited their leadership role to undermine the G20’s founding principles,” she stated. Transition Procedure Controversy South Africa had offered to arrange for an similarly ranked official to officially transfer the G20 presidency to the US at the foreign ministry. Officials had stated it would violate procedure for Ramaphosa to pass it to the US acting ambassador. South Africa’s top diplomat, Ronald Lamola, informed the press: “We have done our part. Our role is complete. It’s up to them. Should they choose to engage, we are ready.” Future Summit and Additional Absences The 2026 conference is scheduled to take place at the Trump National Doral Miami golf resort, which is under Trump corporate ownership. Argentina, whose president Javier Milei did not attend, also declined to support the declaration. Its foreign minister, Pablo Quirno, commented: “Specifically it addresses the protracted Middle Eastern dispute in a manner that does not fully reflect its full complexity.” The G20 communique stated: “We will work for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ukraine, as well as ending other conflicts and wars around the globe.” Group of Twenty History The G20 was established following the Asian financial crisis in 1999, with 19 nations and the European Union. The AU was added in 2023. The Russian leader Vladimir Putin, China’s Xi Jinping and Mexico's leader Claudia Sheinbaum were also absent from the summit. Putin is wanted by the international criminal court, to which South Africa is a signatory. The Chinese president has assigned participation in numerous global events this year to China’s prime minister, Li Qiang.