(Front row, from left) Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Angola President and African Union President João Lourenco, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pose for a group photo on the first day of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on November 22, 2025. Gianluigi Guercia/AP
The White House said South Africa was armed with G20 leadership this year after the summit adopted a declaration to tackle climate change and other global challenges during the summit’s conclusion last weekend, despite opposition from the United States.
South African Presidential Spokesperson Cyril Ramaphosa told reporters on November 22 that the declaration, which was drafted without US input, “cannot be renegotiated”, reflecting tensions between Pretoria and the Trump administration, which boycotted the event.
