Why the G20 both lost and found its way

The article evaluates South Africa's historic G20 presidency, the first by an African nation, concluding on November 30, 2025, amid global challenges. Throughout the year, South Africa hosted over 130 events addressing debt management, energy transition, critical minerals, food security, and G20-Africa dialogue, culminating in the November 22-23 Johannesburg summit. The summit produced a substantive final declaration emphasizing African priorities like food security, energy, clean cooking, and capital outflows, while achieving consensus on divisive issues such as Ukraine and Palestine. The presidency's impact is best assessed through its year-long initiatives, including prioritizing African engagement on the continent's debt crisis and financing access. A key launch was the Expert Task Force to analyze the overestimated risks and high costs of capital for developing countries, mainly in Africa, promoting stable long-term financing. South Africa's efforts enhanced Africa's global influence, building on the African Union's full G20 membership since 2023, invitations to organizations like NEPAD, the African Development Bank, and regional bodies (e.g., COMESA, EAC, SADC), and inclusion of nations like Nigeria and Egypt. This advanced South Africa's foreign policy, unified African agendas, and aligned with the Global South focus from prior presidencies (Indonesia, India, Brazil 2022-2024), reaffirming South Africa's leadership in Africa and international relations. Historically, the G20, formed in 1999 post-Asian financial crisis to bridge Western and emerging economies, now faces a fragmented world with U.S.-China tensions, U.S.-Russia conflicts, and strains in Western alliances, undermining compromise. The 2025 summit saw absences by leaders from the U.S. (entire delegation absent, citing an 'ideological' agenda but reflecting strained U.S.-South Africa ties and waning U.S. commitment to the rules-based order), Russia, and China. Broader multilateral crises paralyze institutions like the WTO, UN, IMF, and World Bank, with BRICS also slowing. The article implies South Africa's presidency succeeded in elevating Africa and Global South issues within the G20, fostering regional cooperation as a growth driver for developing nations amid globalization's decline. The upcoming U.S. presidency in 2026 will test the forum's viability and Washington's engagement.