23.11.2025 10:01
Despite the objections of the United States, the final communiqué of the G20 Leaders' Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, was accepted by the leaders. South African Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya stated, "We now have an accepted summit communiqué. The communiqué highlights, in particular, the four most serious conflicts in the world: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Ukraine, and Palestine."
Despite the objections of the United States, the leaders of the G20 countries gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa, and issued a joint statement.
Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for the South African Presidency, stated in a press conference at the summit that the outcome statement was accepted by the G20 leaders. Magwenya said, "We were making gradual progress towards unanimous acceptance, and now we have an accepted summit declaration. There was a small change in the agenda. Normally, the acceptance process takes place at the end, but throughout the day yesterday, during various bilateral meetings, there was a sense that the summit declaration should be accepted as the first agenda item and then move on to the rest of the day. The statement particularly emphasizes the world's four most serious conflicts: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Ukraine, and Palestine."
"WE CONDEMN ALL ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS AND INFRASTRUCTURE" The statement emphasized the importance of international law and the United Nations (UN) Charter, stating, "We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to act in accordance with international law and condemn all attacks on civilians and infrastructure." The statement reminded that there is opposition to threats against the territorial integrity, sovereignty, or political independence of any state, stating, "In accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, we reaffirm that we will work for a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the occupied Palestinian Territories, and Ukraine, and we will strive to end other conflicts and wars around the world. We can only achieve sustainability and prosperity through peace."
CRITICAL MINERALS CALL FROM G20 COUNTRIES The statement reminded that the G20 countries are determined to continue cooperation on issues such as disaster management, economy, energy security, and critical minerals, stating, "We call on the public and private sectors, financial institutions, development partners, investors, and local communities to unlock the full potential of critical minerals for the benefit of local populations who possess these resources abundantly and to work together to promote sustainable and equitable development, economic growth, and prosperity."
"SHOULD NOT BE USED AS A METHOD OF HUNGER AND WAR" The statement expressed satisfaction with the progress made in reducing hunger worldwide, stating, "We are concerned that up to 720 million people will continue to suffer from hunger in 2024 and that 2.6 billion people cannot afford healthy nutrition."
Emphasizing the cooperation of G20 countries on access to food, one of the most fundamental human rights, the statement said, "We reaffirm our commitment to adhere to international law, especially international humanitarian law, and that deliberately starving civilians should not be used as a method of warfare. We are determined to ensure food security through resilient and sustainable food systems and open, non-discriminatory trade policies in line with World Trade Organization rules."
"DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SHOULD BE CAREFULLY ADDRESSED" The statement highlighted the importance of emerging artificial intelligence technologies, stating, "To ensure the safe development, distribution, and use of artificial intelligence, issues such as the protection of human rights, transparency and explainability, fairness, accountability, regulation, security, appropriate human oversight, ethics, biases, privacy, data protection, and data governance should be carefully addressed. We are aware of the role of the United Nations and other relevant existing forums in promoting international cooperation on artificial intelligence, including strengthening sustainable development."
"GLOBAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM STABILITY SHOULD BE PROMOTED" The statement addressed the importance of financial stability, stating, "We are aware that financial stability is the foundation of sustainable economic growth and we reaffirm our determination to address vulnerabilities and promote an open, resilient, and stable global financial system." It was reminded that international cooperation and multilateral solutions are critically important in addressing global challenges, including rising economic inequality and instability, stating, "We are committed to the global development agenda and are determined to accelerate efforts to address the social, economic, and environmental challenges facing the world through stronger international cooperation. We recognize that trade and investment can be the driving force of economic growth, development, job creation, industrialization, and technological advancement, and can contribute to global food security. We will strive to ensure that the benefits of trade reach all segments of society and that all people have the opportunity to benefit from trade." In this context, the statement reminded that a reform in the WTO is necessary, stating, "We call for a constructive discussion in the WTO to identify points where progress is possible in ongoing negotiations." The statement expressed satisfaction with South Africa's hosting of the G20 Summit and emphasized that the G20 countries are determined to continue cooperation through upcoming summits in the coming years.
THE STATEMENT WAS ACCEPTED ON THE FIRST DAY The leaders of the G20 countries, including Turkey, gathered at the G20 Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa. Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for the South African Presidency, announced that the joint statement, which is normally expected to be accepted at the end of the summit, was accepted on the first day due to a change in the agenda.
TRUMP HAD MADE A BOYCOTT STATEMENT U.S. President Donald Trump, in a previous statement, described the G20 Summit being held in South Africa as "a complete disgrace," stating, "Afrikaners (descendants of Dutch settlers and French and German immigrants) are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally seized. As long as these human rights violations continue, no U.S. government official will attend the meeting." For this reason, the U.S. did not send a representative to the summit.