The G20 issued its draft “G20 South Africa Summit: Leaders’ Declaration” on the first day of its summit, which was unprecedented—usually, a declaration is issued at the end of the summit—and it was approved by the attendees at the conclusion of the summit. South African Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola considered the meeting a great success for South Africa, considering that it moved forward and led the summit in spite of machinations by the U.S. to derail it.
“The U.S. had also told the South Africans that they should not issue a joint declaration at the summit’s close, and that if they issued something it should only be called a ‘chair’s statement,’” reported NPR.
The final Declaration was 30 pages, and touched on points at odds with the Trump administration, such as climate change and “gender equality.” However, it also addressed the life-and-death issues facing many of the countries in the Global South.
It called for:
• Increased international cooperation to address conflicts and humanitarian crises;
