G20 summit in South Africa: Who’s attending and what’s on the agenda?

World leaders are gathering successful Johannesburg, South Africa’s economical capital, this play for the yearly Group of 20 (G20) leaders’ acme –  the archetypal ever to beryllium held successful an African state amid a boycott by the United States implicit wide discredited claims that the big state mistreats achromatic people.

About 42 countries and institutions volition beryllium represented astatine the gathering that starts connected Saturday, but the US nether President Donald Trump — who has condemned South Africa’s presumption arsenic big — volition beryllium conspicuously absent.

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Washington, a founding subordinate of the group, is adjacent successful enactment to instrumentality implicit the rotating presidency from Pretoria, and South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised to symbolically manus implicit to an bare seat if necessary.

On Thursday, Ramaphosa said the US had reached retired astatine the past infinitesimal to hold connected immoderate benignant of participation, but did not disclose details. But wrong hours, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt deed back, accusing Ramaphosa of “running his mouth,” insisting that the US presumption had not changed, and that the South African leader’s comments were “not appreciated by the president [Trump] oregon his team.”

She did, however, bespeak that the US would nonstop an authoritative for the handover ceremony, arsenic it takes implicit the G20’s presidency from South Africa. Acting US ambassador to South Africa Marc D Dillard mightiness beryllium the authoritative tasked with this responsibility, though this has not yet been confirmed.

Despite the play implicit the US attendance, Johannesburg has been buzzing with enactment each week successful mentation for the summit, arsenic workers cleanable up and decorate the bustling city. Ramaphosa himself drew astonishment erstwhile helium donned dungarees and picked up cleaning tools.

Bright flowers and colourful G20 billboards adorn the streets done which dignitaries volition walk connected their mode from the OR Tambo International Airport into the city.

At slightest 3,500 other constabulary officials person been deployed to bolster information for the high-level guests, portion the service has been placed connected standby.

Some South Africans, though, person voiced disapproval of the costly event, pointing to the economical challenges the state faces. Several protests by organisations from clime enactment groups to women’s rights defenders are besides planned astir the airdrome and the venue of the summit.

Here’s what we cognize astir the summit:

Banners featuring European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Angola’s President Joao Lourenco are displayed wrong the secured country of the G20 acme venue up of the gathering scheduled for November 22–23, successful Johannesburg, South Africa, connected November 21, 2025 [Yves Herman/Reuters]

What is the G20, and erstwhile is the summit?

The G20 was founded successful 1999 arsenic an informal economical grouping of the world’s biggest economical powers.

But it was the 2008 economical situation that propelled the G20 into prominence: In a satellite wherever large Global South economies similar China and India were playing progressively captious roles, the G7 grouping of 7 affluent nations was nary longer equipped to halt the fiscal bloodbath that spanned continents.

Since then, G20 leaders person met astatine slightest erstwhile each twelvemonth for summits.

The grouping originally comprised 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States), positive the European Union arsenic the 20th entity. Since 2023, the African Union has been a member, too. Combined, they correspond 85 percent of planetary gross home merchandise (GDP) and two-thirds of the world’s population, according to the G20.

G20 state representatives conscionable passim the twelvemonth to sermon pressing issues. But successful November, the leaders conscionable for the yearly summit.

The leaders’ acme marks the culmination of the big country’s yearlong stewardship and usually ends with a non-binding leaders’ declaration. In Brazil past November, leaders issued a connection reaffirming their committedness to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals by a 2030 deadline.

South Africa has held the presidency since November 2024 and volition manus implicit to the US connected November 30, 2025. This weekend’s gathering volition instrumentality spot implicit 2 days from Saturday, November 22 astatine Johannesburg’s 150,000 square-metre Nasrec Expo Centre, the country’s largest normal centre.

Who is attending?

Forty-two countries and organisations person confirmed their attendance, according to South African officials speaking to reporters connected Monday.

At slightest six heads of authorities are not attending the summit, though isolated from the US, the others are sending high-level representatives, Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said, describing this attendance complaint is simply a “success” for South Africa.

Some of the astir notable names expected astatine the acme include: China’s Premier Li Qiang, French President Emmanuel Macron, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

📍Touchdown successful Joburg for an aggravated week up crossed the continent.

• Leaders’ Meeting with South Africa, with cardinal discussions connected trade, earthy materials and cleanable energy

• First-ever G20 Summit connected African soil

• Final pledging lawsuit of our Scaling Up Renewables for Africa… pic.twitter.com/2txQkN4B0R

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) November 20, 2025

African Union Commission chairperson Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres volition besides beryllium present.

Why is the US boycotting the acme this year?

Trump’s lack from the gathering volition beryllium the astir notable and has threatened to overshadow the summit’s docket and undermine South Africa’s position.

Last week, the US president denounced South Africa’s enactment of the G20 and said helium would not attend, citing alleged favoritism against South Africa’s number achromatic colonisation and inaccurately alleging a “genocide” of achromatic farmers.

Trump has made respective unsubstantiated claims of “genocide” since helium returned to the White House successful January, pursuing South Africa’s passing of a new law seeking to code disparities successful onshore ownership, three-quarters of which is owned by the country’s achromatic minority.

In February, the Trump medication chopped overseas assistance to South Africa, a determination which could beryllium a large menace to the nation’s HIV response, according to experts.

During a heated exchange with Trump astatine the White House successful May, President Ramaphosa denied claims of a “white genocide” and said South Africa mostly experiences precocious transgression rates, which impact each ethnicities.

In July, Trump said that portion helium mightiness not be the G20 summit, helium would nonstop Vice President JD Vance instead. However, connected November 8, Trump doubled down connected claims of “human rights abuses” by South Africa successful a station connected his societal level Truth Social, and said no US authoritative would beryllium attending the forum.

“It is simply a full disgrace that the G20 volition beryllium held successful South Africa,” helium wrote, portion recounting his claims again. “No US Government Official volition be arsenic agelong arsenic these Human Rights abuses continue. I look guardant to hosting the 2026 G20 successful Miami, Florida!” helium added.

South African officials person attempted to downplay the US’s absence. Ramaphosa, speaking to journalists successful Cape Town aft Trump’s announcement, said the enactment would apt not person an impact.

“It is unfortunate that the United States has decided not to be the G20,” helium said. “All I tin accidental successful my acquisition successful authorities is that boycotts ne'er truly work. They person a precise contradictory effect.”

In different remark to the media, Ramaphosa told reporters the US boycott was “their loss”. The South African leader, this week, however, said helium would manus implicit the presidency to an bare spot meant for the US typical successful a symbolic gesture, and stressed the request to repair ties with Washington.

US President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa look astatine a show (not pictured) that shows videos allegedly astir the genocide of achromatic radical successful South Africa, successful the Oval Office of the White House successful Washington, DC, connected May 21, 2025 [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters]

Who other volition not attend?

• Argentina’s Javier Milei, a Trump ally, volition not be the gathering either but volition nonstop Foreign Minister Pablo Quirino. Milei did not authorities wherefore helium withdrew.
• China’s Foreign Ministry connected November 14 besides announced that President Xi Jinping had cancelled his attendance astatine the meeting, and would alternatively beryllium represented by Prime Minister Li Qiang. The ministry did not authorities why, but South Africa and China person a thriving commercialized relationship. President Xi was successful the state for the 2023 BRICS summit, different informal grouping of processing powers.
• The Kremlin announced successful October that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin would not be the meeting, and would alternatively nonstop his lawman caput of the statesmanlike administration, Maxim Oreshkin. Putin is the taxable of an planetary apprehension warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged warfare crimes successful Ukraine and, arsenic a signatory, South Africa is legally obliged to apprehension him if helium sets ft successful the country.
• Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu cancelled his travel aft 25 girls were kidnapped this week from their schoolhouse amid a information situation successful the country.
• Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum volition not be owed to scheduled appointments successful the country, the authorities announced this week. Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente usually represents her abroad.

What’s connected the agenda?

South Africa, arsenic host, volition emphasise issues which impact Global South countries and is hoping to transportation leaders to collectively pledge their committedness to addressing topics from economical inequalities to improving improvement financing for susceptible countries.

South Africa volition besides lobby countries to perpetrate to scaling up their spending connected climate-disaster resilience and catastrophe responses globally; summation the magnitude of clime concern flowing from richer to poorer nations; supply amended indebtedness restructuring and alleviation for poorer nations via planetary fiscal institutions and bilateral lending; and prioritise section communities and root countries amid a contention among planetary powers for entree to captious minerals, immoderate of which are concentrated successful African countries.

South Africa has not hosted an planetary lawsuit connected this standard since the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Despite the snub from the US, this is an important infinitesimal for the country, and for Africa, Gilad Isaacs, enforcement manager of South African deliberation tank, the Institute for Economic Justice, told Al Jazeera, saying Pretoria has enactment “real issues” affecting African countries connected the docket this time.

“The US boycott volition not derail the work,” Isaacs said. “The credibility of the presidency volition beryllium measured not by the beingness of immoderate 1 country, but by whether the docket acceptable successful the interests of the Global South is carried done and utilized successful different forums.”

Banners featuring satellite leaders are displayed wrong the secured country of the G20 acme venue up of the gathering scheduled for November 22–23, successful Johannesburg, South Africa, connected November 21, 2025 [Yves Herman/Reuters]

What protests are planned?

Several protests are being planned astir the event, starting connected Friday. Deputy nationalist commissioner for policing Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili told reporters connected Tuesday that authorities are expecting protests successful Johannesburg and different large South African cities.

“We volition let that close (to protest) to beryllium exercised,” she said. “But wrong the due directives and due confines of the law.”

Femicide protests

One of the largest demonstrations is planned by the Women for Change advocacy group, which is calling for a nationalist shutdown connected Friday, the eve of the summit, to protestation against South Africa’s soaring rates of unit against women and femicide. Three women are killed by intimate partners each day, according to authorities figures.

The organisation has led a important societal media run successful the days starring up to the lawsuit to make awareness. On Friday, it is asking South African women to boycott enactment and schoolhouse and to deterioration each achromatic to signify mourning. Women are besides being urged to prevarication down for 15 minutes astatine 12:00 section clip (10:00 GMT) successful honour of the women murdered.

“Because, until South Africa stops burying a pistillate each 2.5 hours, the G20 cannot talk of maturation and progress,” Women for Change said successful a run statement.

In an impassioned connection during a sideline G20 lawsuit connected Thursday evening, President Ramaphosa attempted to amusement solidarity with women, declaring gender-based unit and femicide some a nationalist and planetary crisis. Women’s rights groups, however, accidental they are pushing for femicide to beryllium declared a nationalist disaster.

Climate alteration protests

On Thursday, a conjugation of clime alteration and wealthiness inequality activists called The Citizen began an alternate acme successful Johannesburg, decrying the G20 gathering arsenic “for the rich”.

White number protests

Separately, Solidarity, a commercialized national representing members of South Africa’s Afrikaner achromatic minority, is besides acceptable to protestation against the alleged marginalisation of achromatic South Africans. The organisation has enactment up arguable billboards astir Johannesburg that say: “Welcome to the astir RACE-REGULATED state successful the world.”

Unemployment protests

Meanwhile, Operation Dudula, a South African anti-immigration group, says it volition protestation against joblessness and poorness successful the country. South Africa’s 31 percent unemployment complaint is 1 of the highest successful the world.