Despite official US boycott, participants agreed for shared responsibilities in dealing with the challenges of climate change and reforms in the UN with the objective of equitable global governance
The first ever G20 summit on the African continent concluded on Sunday, November 23 on a note of shared responsibilities to deal with global inequality and growing debt crisis among the poor and developing countries.
The summit declaration adopted on Saturday also talks about renewed push to fulfill the Paris climate accords and reforms in the UN to make it more democratic, efficient and reflective of the changing global order.
The two day summit was attended by the 19 heads of state from the world’s leading economies as well as the heads of the European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU). The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also participated in the summit.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
The summit was presided over by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The theme of the summit was “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability.”
US President Donald Trump boycotted the summit after accusing South Africa of discriminating against its white minority population. The allegations which were made during Ramaphosa’s visit to the US in May have been strongly rejected by the South African government and widely debunked.
Sticking to its shifts towards unilateralism and climate scepticism, the US had also objected to the summit’s broad agenda about the transition to renewable energy, providing relief to the poor nations from crippling debt, and fighting against climate change.
Ramaphosa during his inaugural address had claimed that the G20 “underscores the value and relevance of multilateralism” and recognizes that the challenges we face can only be resolved through cooperation, collaboration and partnership.”
All participating countries except Argentina agreed with the contents of the declaration and signed it on the first day of the summit itself. After the consensus was reached on the summit declaration Ramaphosa claimed that it exhibits that “shared goals outweigh our differences.”
Though no official ceremony was held to formally transfer the presidency, the US will host next year’s summit.
South Africa refused to conduct the handover ceremony over the US refusal to send an appropriate level representative for the same, Reuters reported.
Multilateralism and shared responsibilities
The leaders’ declaration talks about shared commitments of the G20 members to dealing with issues of climate change, the debt crisis faced by the developing and low income countries, helping the world to shift towards renewable energy, and providing help to poorer countries for recovering from climate related disasters.
Special attention is given to key issues faced by African nations such as the debt crisis and insufficient resources to mitigate climate change impacts and advance a just energy transition. It talks about “partnership for Africa” to create ways to provide support to the countries on the continent for their equitable development.
“We affirm our steadfast commitments, in pursuit of the objectives of the UNFCCC, to tackle climate change by strengthening the full and effective implementation of the Paris agreement, reflecting equity, and the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances,” the declaration reads.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Certain points in the declaration may indicate an emerging consensus among the G20 members minus the US on issues such as the debt crisis and climate finance, a key issue at the COP30 the week prior.
The declaration talks about the need to increase global investments related to the climate crisis as a way to meet climate goals.
The G20 declaration expressed members’ commitments to multilateralism and equitable global governance with the UN at the core.
In the context of the growing violations of international laws by certain countries, the declaration emphasizes the need for every country to follow international laws as described in the UN charter.
Approaching the subject of tariff and trade war unleashed by the US, the summit also emphasized on the centrality of “multilateral cooperation to address existing and emerging risks and challenges to the global economy” and underlined the need to reform and resuscitate institutions such as the WTO.