This weekend's G20 declaration shows a "renewed commitment to multilateral cooperation", South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday.
Ramaphosa, host of the Johannesburg summit, managed to secure agreement on a final text addressing issues such as the climate crisis, despite strong objections from the United States, which boycotted the gathering.
At the closing ceremony, he said the outcome demonstrated that world leaders’ “shared goals outweigh our differences”.
U.S. President Donald Trump skipped the 22–23 November summit, on the grounds of allegations, which have been comprehensively falsified, that the host country's Black majority government persecutes its white minority.
He had also rejected South Africa's agenda of helping developing nations transition to clean energy, reduce crippling debt costs and adapt to climate change-related disasters.
Despite Washington's opposition, Ramaphosa secured consensus from the leaders present, aside from Argentina, which did not block the declaration.
It was the first G20 summit held in Africa, and the final text used language long resisted by the U.S. administration. It highlighted the seriousness of climate change, the need for adaptation, praised ambitious renewable energy targets and criticised the heavy debt burdens facing poorer nations.
The summit took place as tensions over Russia’s conflict in Ukraine strain the transatlantic alliance, and shortly after a frustrating COP30 in Brazil, where oil-producing and high-consuming nations prevented any reference to fossil fuels in the final declaration.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said both the G20 and COP30 showed that multilateralism remains alive.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the United States “was mentioned only in passing” at the G20 summit, adding it played a minor role as new geopolitical connections emerge.
“It wasn’t a good decision for the American government to be absent,” he said.
The United States takes over the rotating G20 presidency after Johannesburg, but South Africa rejected a U.S. proposal to send an embassy official for the handover in Trump’s place, calling it a breach of protocol.
The White House accused Ramaphosa of refusing to facilitate a smooth transition, but South Africa’s Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said they had not received formal communication.
“We remain open … It’s up to them,” he said.
Lamola noted it was a major achievement that the declaration acknowledged the need for climate finance for developing countries.
Alongside the surprise agreement on the declaration, world leaders also discussed the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Trump’s proposed plan to end it in a series of meetings expected to continue in the coming days.
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At least 46 people, including six children, have been killed in a powerful explosion at a building used to store mining explosives in northeastern Myanmar, according to local media reports.
Thousands of residents blocked Austria’s Brenner motorway on Saturday (30 May), shutting down a major north-south transport route through the Alps in protest against persistent congestion from heavy truck traffic and tourism.
U.S. rapper Kanye West, now known as Ye, performed to a crowd of 118,000 people in Istanbul on Saturday night, marking his first concert in Europe in more than a decade, despite being barred from performing in several countries over past antisemitic remarks.
Iranian-made Yassin missiles were spotted mounted on Armenian Air Force fighter aircraft during Armenia's latest military parade on Thursday (28 May), drawing attention from defence observers and regional analysts.
The Philippines remains under a "severe threat" from China despite recent efforts by Washington and Beijing to ease tensions, Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Saturday (30 May).
Thai rescuers say five people have been pulled alive from a flooded cave in remote Laos, where seven villagers became trapped after heavy rain cut off access underground.
Russia has recalled its ambassador to Armenia for consultations, citing Yerevan's growing rapprochement with the European Union. The move is seen as the latest sign of deteriorating relations between the longtime allies ahead of Armenia's parliamentary election on 7 June.
Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela has secured a fourth successive election victory for his Labour Party, extending its hold on power, though with a reduced majority compared with previous polls.
Nicaraguan indigenous leader and former lawmaker Brooklyn Rivera has died in state custody at the age of 73, according to local media reports citing his family.
At least 46 people, including six children, have been killed in a powerful explosion at a building used to store mining explosives in northeastern Myanmar, according to local media reports.
South Africa's preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have suffered an unexpected setback after the national team failed to depart for Mexico as scheduled on Sunday (31 May) because some players and officials had not yet received their visas.
Five people have died after a mine shaft collapsed during an illegal mining operation in southwestern China, state media reported on Sunday (31 May), just days after the country's deadliest mining disaster in more than a decade claimed at least 82 lives.
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