Leaders and delegations from the world's largest economies and many major developing nations have converged on Johannesburg for Africa's first G20 summit — an event now overshadowed by a formal boycott from U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration. Representatives from around 42 countries are attending, but the absence of the United States — a founding G20 member — has dominated coverage and complicated diplomatic expectations.
An empty chair
President Trump has publicly rejected South Africa's G20 stewardship and said he would not attend, citing alleged discrimination against white farmers — a claim President Cyril Ramaphosa has called "completely false." The U.S. later announced that no official delegation would attend the summit, a move that has eclipsed the summit agenda, which includes climate resilience, debt sustainability for poorer nations and widening inequality.
“It will not be a walk in the park, but when there is global consensus, we can be able to find persuasive means to enable the world to function,”
South Africa's foreign minister, Ronald Lamola, acknowledged that the U.S. absence raises questions about the summit's reach but said it is also an opportunity to demonstrate that multilateral diplomacy can proceed without full U.S. participation. Lamola noted that 100% attendance by heads of state is rare and pointed out that other major leaders — including Xi Jinping of China — have often sent senior representatives instead of attending in person.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is also expected to be absent after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant related to Russia's war in Ukraine; as a signatory to the Rome Statute, South Africa would be obliged to detain him if he set foot on its soil.
Advancing an inclusive agenda
South Africa is using its G20 presidency to press for measures that address the challenges facing low-income nations — especially finance to cope with climate impacts and to manage sovereign debt. Independent experts and hosts have highlighted financing needs that could approach $1 trillion a year by 2030 to help vulnerable countries adapt to and recover from worsening climate effects.
An expert panel convened ahead of the summit urged the International Monetary Fund and G20 members to adopt broad approaches to refinance and restructure debt for poorer countries. The African Union, represented at the summit, plans to speak for African states confronting climate pressures and fiscal strain, according to Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chairperson of the African Union Commission.
“If anything, the situation underscores the need to accelerate global governance reform, ensuring that all regions, including Africa, have a meaningful voice in setting global priorities,”
Brian Kagoro, managing director at the Open Society Foundations, called the U.S. boycott regrettable but emphasized that the summit's impact will depend on the concrete outcomes Africa advances.
Support and bilateral diplomacy
Many major partners — including France, Germany and the United Kingdom — have confirmed participation, and leaders from those countries are expected to use the Johannesburg meeting for extensive bilateral talks. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has also confirmed his attendance and voiced a commitment to pressing for reforms in the international financial system to better support development, especially in Africa.
“I will be there and I am totally committed to work within the G20, to move all the key reforms that are essential in the international financial system and to create the conditions for the development agenda, particularly in Africa, to be sustainable,”
Preparations around the city have been highly visible: municipal crews have cleaned streets, planted bright flowers and put up colorful G20 banners and billboards. Against that backdrop, Johannesburg is hosting a high-stakes diplomatic effort to advance climate finance, debt relief and inclusive global governance — even as the absence of two powerful leaders complicates expectations for sweeping, unified declarations.
Report contributor: Edith M. Lederer
