South African President Cyril Ramaphosa formally closed the G20 Summit 2025 in Johannesburg on Sunday, November 23, affirming the event’s success as a win for multilateralism despite a high-profile boycott by the United States. The summit achieved a critical milestone by adopting a Leaders’ Declaration early in the proceedings, ignoring pressure from the US to delay consensus in the absence of its delegation. This consensus document focused heavily on climate ambition, debt relief for low-income nations, and development justice, highlighting a strong Global South agenda.
The summit concluded with a diplomatic spat regarding the traditional handover of the G20 presidency. Ramaphosa rejected a US proposal for him to pass the ceremonial gavel to a relatively junior U.S. embassy official. South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola insisted that only a head of state, a presidential envoy, or a Cabinet Minister would be an appropriate representative for the occasion, calling the US move an “insult” that breached protocol. White House officials, who had boycotted the summit entirely over unverified claims of discrimination against white South African farmers, accused Ramaphosa of “refusing to facilitate a smooth transition.”
Ramaphosa used his closing remarks to stress the importance of unity in the face of significant challenges and reiterated that the G20 remains a platform capable of delivering collective action. The successful hosting of the first G20 summit on African soil, despite the US absence and the non-attendance of seven G20 leaders (including Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi Jinping, who sent delegations), was hailed as a triumph for South Africa’s diplomacy and its assertive role in shaping the global agenda toward development and sustainability.
