The summit opened under strain. The United States boycotted the meeting entirely.
Russia's Vladimir Putin, China's Xi Jinping and Mexico's Claudia Sheinbaum were also absent from the summit. Putin is wanted by the international criminal court, to which South Africa is a signatory. Xi has delegated attending many international gatherings this year to China's premier, Li Qiang.
In an unusual move, world leaders from the Group of 20 broke with tradition and adopted a declaration at the start of their summit in South Africa on Saturday despite opposition from the United States.
Traditionally, such declarations are adopted at the end, but the hosts acted early to ensure the meeting showed at least a minimum of unity.
The declaration focused on the priorities of developing countries, highlighting debt sustainability and the need for support to nations affected by climate-related disasters.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said the text 'reaffirms our renewed commitment to multilateral cooperation and our recognition that our shared goals outweigh our differences.' The declaration remained non-binding and largely symbolic.
Besides, the war in Ukraine dominated discussions, and French president Emmanuel Macron warned that the G20 'may be reaching the end of a cycle,' saying members were finding it difficult to resolve major crises together.
Only hours after the declaration was adopted, Argentina's foreign minister said his country 'cannot approve this declaration,' pointing to 'red lines,' especially regarding the wording on the Middle East conflict.
The United States also criticized the host country, accusing South Africa of 'weaponising their G20 presidency to undermine the G20's founding principles.'
Although a joint declaration allowed the summit to save face on paper, the tensions revealed in Johannesburg showed the fragile state of the forum.
Rania Umutoni
