G20 Leaders’ Summit Closing Session | South Africa 2025

The article is a transcript of the closing remarks at the G20 Summit hosted by South Africa, marking the first time the forum was held on African soil. The speaker expresses profound gratitude to G20 leaders, UN Secretary-General, international organization heads, ministers, and guests for their support during South Africa's presidency, which emphasized Africa's growth and development as central to global prosperity. Key achievements include reaffirming the G20's role in international economic cooperation amid global challenges; calls for ending conflicts and achieving lasting peace; progress on ending poverty, reducing inequality, and combating climate change; addressing debt burdens in developing economies through support for low- and middle-income countries to foster reduced debt, higher investment, and inclusive growth. The summit advanced disaster resilience by introducing voluntary principles for investing in risk reduction and scaling up post-disaster reconstruction. Commitments were made to mobilize climate finance, strengthen multilateral development banks, support just energy transitions, ensure energy security and universal access, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The G20 Critical Minerals Framework was reaffirmed to drive sustainable development. A 'G20 at 20' review was conducted, recommending the forum's continuation as vital for global economic well-being. South Africa's agenda built on prior Global South presidencies (Indonesia, India, Brazil), prioritizing inclusive growth, inequality reduction, and sustainable development. The Leaders' Declaration commits to concrete actions for multilateral cooperation, accelerating UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Pact for the Future, ensuring no one is left behind. The speech metaphorically describes laying a foundation of solidarity to build justice and prosperity. The summit is formally closed, with the gavel passed to the United States for the next presidency in 2025. A brief closing note to the press hopes the summit's theme of 'Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability' yields benefits for humanity.