South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday that the declaration from the Group of 20 (G20) summit reflected a ‘renewed commitment to multilateral cooperation’.
Ramaphosa, the host of the summit in Johannesburg, managed to address global challenges such as the climate crisis through the declaration, despite the objections of the United States of America, which boycotted the event.
At the closing of the summit, Ramaphosa pointed out that the declaration shows how “the common goals of world leaders outweigh our differences,” reports Reuters.
US President Donald Trump boycotted the summit on November 22 and 23 citing accusations, later completely denied, that the government in South Africa is persecuting the white minority. Trump also rejected South Africa’s agenda to help developing countries transition to clean energy, reduce massive debt costs and adapt to climate change disasters.
Despite the absence of the US, Ramaphosa secured the consensus of the leaders present, except for Argentina, which did not object to the declaration being issued without its participation. It was the first G20 summit held in Africa, and the joint declaration used terminology that the US administration has long disapproved of.
The document highlights the seriousness of climate change and the need for adaptation, praises ambitious renewable energy targets and condemns the high debt servicing costs suffered by poor countries.
The summit was held at a time of tension due to Russian aggression in Ukraine, which undermined the transatlantic alliance, and after the failed climate negotiations at COP30 in Brazil, where oil and energy-intensive countries prevented fossil fuels from being mentioned as the cause of the crisis in the final declaration.
(Vijesti.ba/Fena)
