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Ramaphosa Closes G20 in Johannesburg, Rejects U.S. Request to Hand Presidency to Junior Diplomat

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa closed the Johannesburg G20 and declined a U.S. request to hand next year’s presidency to a junior U.S. diplomat. He called the summit a win for multilateralism but said it was marred by a U.S. boycott. The G20 declaration emphasized action on climate change and gender equality, while several major leaders were absent. The handover dispute highlighted diplomatic protocol tensions ahead of the next summit in Florida.

05:30 AM, 11/24/2025Politics
Ramaphosa Closes G20 in Johannesburg, Rejects U.S. Request to Hand Presidency to Junior Diplomat

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa brought the two-day G20 summit in Johannesburg to a close and declined a U.S. request that he hand responsibility for next year’s meeting in Florida to a junior U.S. embassy official.

Ramaphosa described the summit as a victory for multilateralism but said it had been overshadowed by what he characterized as a U.S. boycott. “We’ve met in the face of significant challenges and demonstrated our ability to come together, even in times of great difficulty, to pursue a better world,” he said in his closing remarks. He added, “We shall see each other again next year” — his only explicit reference to the United States during the summit.

U.S. Reaction

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly accused Ramaphosa of refusing to “facilitate a smooth transition of the G20 presidency.” She said that South Africa’s push to issue a leaders’ declaration despite U.S. objections “underscored the fact that they have weaponized their G20 presidency to undermine the G20’s founding principles.”

Summit Outcomes

On the final day, G20 leaders issued a declaration stressing the need to address climate change and to promote gender equality among member states. Delegations also referenced the recent U.S. administration’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and rollbacks of policies intended to address discrimination and hate, though leaders did not repeatedly single out any one country by name.

Diplomatic Protocol and the Hand-Over Dispute

South African officials said they offered to provide an equivalent junior diplomat at the foreign ministry to formalize the handover, but that it would breach diplomatic protocol for President Ramaphosa personally to transfer the presidency to a U.S. acting ambassador. Officials argued that heads of state typically perform the ceremonial handover, and any deviation could be interpreted as irregular.

Notable Absences

Several major leaders did not attend the Johannesburg gathering. China frequently delegates such summits to Premier Li Qiang rather than President Xi Jinping; Russia’s president remains subject to an international arrest warrant; and Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, was also absent.

The next G20 summit is scheduled to take place in Florida. The choice of venue—Trump National Doral Miami, a property owned by the Trump Organization—has drawn attention and debate.

Key takeaway: The Johannesburg summit produced a leaders’ declaration on climate and gender equality, but diplomatic tensions — highlighted by the disputed handover of the G20 presidency — exposed divisions between South Africa and the United States.

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