The 2025 G20 Johannesburg summit was the twentieth meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20), a Head of State and Government meeting held at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa on 22âÂÂ23 November 2025. It was the first G20 summit to take place on the African continent. It was also notable for the non-attendance by the top leaders of several major economies, including Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian president Vladimir Putin, although they did send participating delegations. The United States did not participate in the summit, despite being a G20 member.
South Africa assumed the G20 presidency from 1 December 2024, to November 2025, becoming the first African country to chair the forum; the term coincided with ongoing efforts by the international community to advance the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
It marked the fourth consecutive G20 presidency held by a member of the Global South and BRICS, following Indonesia in 2022, India in 2023 and Brazil in 2024. South African officials stated that development issues affecting Africa and other Global South countries would be central to the presidency. President Cyril Ramaphosa reiterated this priority, saying that South Africa would âÂÂput Africa's development at the top of the agenda when we host the G20 in 2025âÂÂ.
The presidency unfolded amid diplomatic tensions. Several preparatory meetings experienced disagreements among member states, and the United States declined to participate in some early sessions, citing concerns with aspects of the agenda. South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola stated in response that the G20 âÂÂshould send a clear message that the world can move on with or without the US".
South Africa adopted the theme "Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability" for its presidency.
According to official sources, âÂÂsolidarityâ refers to cooperation across diverse economies, âÂÂequalityâ to promoting fair opportunities between and within countries, and âÂÂsustainabilityâ to long-term development that does not compromise future generations.
South Africa identified several areas of focus for its presidency, many reflecting themes advanced in earlier G20 presidencies.
Additional high-level priorities were organised within the G20's two traditional workstreams, the Sherpa and Finance Tracks.
The South African government had budgeted R691 million (US$38.7 million) in preparation for the G20 events.
The G20 Sherpa Track oversees discussions, discusses the topics that make up the summit's agenda, and coordinates the majority of the work under the direction of the G20 presidents' personal representatives. The Director-General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr. Zane Dangor, was appointed as the Sherpa by the South African government. Two Sous-Sherpas, Advocate Nokukhanya Jele and Ambassador Xolisa Mabhongo, deputised the Sherpa.
The Sherpa track is constituted of 15 Working Groups:
US President Donald Trump was boycotting the event and not sending any representative, citing discredited claims of a white genocide against Afrikaners in South Africa and labelling the hosting of the summit there "a total disgrace". In support of Trump, Argentina's President Javier Milei also joined the boycott, designating Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno as his substitute.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping also did not go to South Africa, with Chinese Premier Li Qiang attending instead. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also did not attend, while Russian President Vladimir Putin can't travel to South Africa due to the outstanding arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC). South Africa is legally obliged to arrest Putin if he enters the country, as it is a signatory to the Rome Statute of the ICC.
In a later development, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto also decided not to attend the summit in South Africa and instead sent Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka to represent Indonesia. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud likewise withdrew from participation, assigning Foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to lead his delegation instead.
These absences left the summit with neither of the two largest global economies represented by their top leaders, and seven of the G20's nineteen member countries not sending their heads of state or government. French President Emmanuel Macron warned that the absence of approximately one-third of full leadership participation posed a serious risk to the future relevance and effectiveness of the G20 as a global governance forum.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney declared: âÂÂthe world can move on without the United States.â Despite President Trump's administration boycotting the meeting, Carney argued that the consensus reached at the G20 retained legitimacy. He emphasized that countries representing three-quarters of the world's population, two-thirds of global GDP, and three-quarters of world trade participatedâÂÂeven without the U.S. present.
The following leaders were invited to the summit:
The following organisation leaders were invited to the summit:
Breaking with tradition, the South Africa G20 presidency tabled a Leader's statement at the beginning of the Johannesburg Summit. The Declaration of the first G20 summit hosted on African soil reflected its context, giving more visibility to African and Global South concerns. Despite a U.S. boycott, the declaration was adopted, underscoring a shift toward G20 unity around development, climate, and reform, in the spirit of multipolarity.
The leaders in attendance adopted a 122-point declaration which focused on advancing global equity, multilateral reform, and sustainable development. Argentina was the only nation not to subscribe to the document, with FM Quirno arguing that "context and geopolitical facts" were missing in the issue of the Middle East and the G20 call for conditions in Palestine. Centred on theme of "Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability", the declaration pushes for: