G20 Sherpas reach agreement on leaders’ declaration ahead of Johannesburg summit

After five days of negotiations, G20 sherpas reached an agreement on a Leaders’ Declaration at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, ahead of the summit scheduled to start on Saturday at Nasrec, south of Johannesburg. The declaration is seen as a victory for South Africa, which had insisted on a full Leaders’ Declaration rather than a Chair’s Statement.

Details on the final wording remain unclear, with reports indicating that some conservative countries, including Argentina, opposed references to gender and the Sustainable Development Goals, while major oil and gas producers, Saudi Arabia and Russia, objected to support for renewable energy. There was also discussion about issuing a “Johannesburg Leaders’ Declaration” rather than a G20 declaration to reflect only the views of attending countries, as the United States is not participating.

The agreement follows late discussions about US involvement in the summit. President Cyril Ramaphosa revealed that the US embassy had requested participation by its acting ambassador, Marc Dillard, for the handover of the G20 presidency at the closing ceremony. Ramaphosa emphasised that he would not hand over the presidency to a chargé d’affaires, calling it a breach of protocol.

While the US initially announced it would not attend the summit, Ramaphosa noted that last-minute communications from the US suggested a possible change of approach, which was still under discussion. He described this as a “positive political sign,” while stressing that logistical and protocol issues were being examined to accommodate any participation.

The White House later clarified that the US position had not changed and it was not participating in the summit discussions, with deputy press secretary Anna Kelly dismissing earlier reports as “fake news.”

The G20 summit in Johannesburg is set to take place on Saturday and Sunday, with sherpas having successfully negotiated an outcome document despite the absence of the US and the late-stage diplomatic uncertainty surrounding its involvement.

Credit: Daily Maverick