G20 Leaders Break Tradition with Early Declaration

Addis Ababa, November 22, 2025 (ENA) – World leaders from the Group of 20 rich and developing economies broke with tradition and adopted a declaration at the start of their summit in South Africa on Saturday.

According to the report by Pulse of Africa (POA), Vincent Magwenya, the spokesperson for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, said a leaders' declaration was adopted unanimously by the other members at the start of the talks in Johannesburg.

Declarations are usually adopted at the end of G20 summits.

There were no details of what was in the declaration. Still, South Africa promoted it as a victory for the first G20 summit to be held in Africa and its aim to put problems, especially affecting poor countries, at the top of the agenda.

South Africa's summit has an ambitious agenda to make progress on solving some of the long-standing problems that have afflicted the developing world, and leaders and top government officials came together at an exhibition center near the township of Soweto, which was once home to Nelson Mandela.

South Africa, which gets to set the agenda as the country holding the rotating G20 presidency, wants leaders to agree to more help for poor countries to recover from climate-related disasters, reduce their foreign debt burdens, transition to green energy sources and harness their own critical mineral wealth — all in an attempt to counter widening global inequality.

The G20 is actually a group of 21 members that comprises 19 nations, the European Union, and the African Union.

G20 summits traditionally end with a leaders' declaration, which details any broad agreement reached by the members.