The G20 leaders have pledged in their summit declaration to work for a “just, comprehensive and lasting” peace.
The G20 leaders have pledged in their summit declaration to work for a “just, comprehensive and lasting” peace, condemning terrorism in “all its forms and manifestations.”
The G20 Leaders’ Summit entered its second and final day on Sunday.
G20 declaration
The 2025 G20 Leaders’ Declaration under South Africa’s Presidency centred on climate change, debt relief, artificial intelligence (AI) and development justice, with a strong political message on multilateralism, terrorism, and global conflicts.
A group of 20 leaders adopted the declaration over US objections, prompting the White House to accuse South Africa of weaponising its leadership of the group this year.
Terrorism
The G20 member nations adopted a joint declaration asserting that no country should use force or threats to alter internationally recognised borders, in a clear reaffirmation of the global commitment to sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“We condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”
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‘Lasting peace’
The G20 leaders also pledged to work for lasting” peace in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Palestinian territories, and Ukraine.
“We concur that, guided by the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter in its entirety, we will work for a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Ukraine, as well as ending other conflicts and wars around the globe.
“Only with peace will we achieve sustainability and prosperity,” said the final declaration of the summit.
Argentina objection
On Saturday, Argentina officially joined the United States (US) as one of only two countries to voice their objections to the G20 Leaders’ Summit declaration.
Argentina’s foreign minister, Pablo Quirno, said that while the G20 represents an important opportunity to demonstrate a collective approach to the development of Africa, Argentina would not sign the G20 declaration due to discrepancies in the text, particularly regarding the approach to the conflict in the Middle East, although he reaffirmed the commitment to the forum.
“It is crucial to preserve the integrity of the G20’s central principle, which is consensus, and to recognise when it has not been achieved rather than proceeding with a document that does not faithfully reflect a collective will.
“We are deeply concerned about the way certain geopolitical issues are framed in the document. In particular, it addresses the prolonged conflict in the Middle East in a manner that does not capture its full complexity,” Quirno said.
Quirno said that although Argentina, a close ally of the US, cannot endorse the declaration due to discrepancies, the country maintains its full commitment to the spirit of cooperation that has defined the G20 since its creation.
Consensus
While Argentina was a notable detractor, G20 officials and President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said that it had been part of the consensus, adding that the declaration was unanimous.
Magwenya also said the G20 leadership would not be handed over to a junior official of the US embassy representative, despite the US boycott of the summit.
Ramaphosa, who announced the decision on the declaration by mistake as he was unaware that his microphone was still on after his opening address, said: “There has been overwhelming consensus to execute what we came here for – the consensus to adopt the declaration.”
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