Leaders at the G20 Summit in Johannesburg on Saturday adopted a Leaders’ Declaration that carries forward several priorities set during India’s 2023 G20 presidency, while addressing major global challenges and calling for greater solidarity, equality and sustainability as pillars of inclusive growth.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa , opening the summit — the first G20 leaders’ meeting held on the African continent — framed the declaration as a signal of continued support for multilateralism. “The G20 underscores the value and relevance of multilateralism. It recognises that the challenges we all face can only be resolved through cooperation, collaboration and partnership,” Ramaphosa said, adding the declaration “sends a message of hope and solidarity” and reaffirms leaders’ pledge to “leave no person, no community and no country behind.”
Despite the absence of the United States, which boycotted the summit over a dispute with the host government, G20 leaders finalised language that echoes India’s 2023 agenda. The South Africa declaration explicitly referenced the African philosophy of Ubuntu — “I am because we are” — and stressed that nations must act together through multilateral cooperation, macro-policy coordination and global partnerships for sustainable development.
The declaration condemns terrorism in all its forms and endorses the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and FATF-style regional bodies to strengthen efforts against money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing. Leaders called for stepped-up action to prevent misuse of legal entities, boost asset recovery, improve payment transparency and curb illicit finance involving virtual assets while promoting responsible innovation in the sector.
Digital and technological priorities also featured prominently. The document highlights the transformative potential of Digital Public Infrastructure and reaffirms commitments to harness emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, in a safe, secure and trustworthy manner. It also reaffirmed the Deccan High-Level Principles on Food Security and Nutrition adopted under India’s 2023 presidency and recognised the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), an Indian initiative, in the context of disaster resilience.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the summit platform to reiterate ideas he advanced during India’s presidency and to propose four concrete measures aimed at inclusive, sustainable growth: creation of a Global Traditional Knowledge Repository under the G20 to document time-tested sustainable practices; a G20–Africa Skills Multiplier Initiative to train one million certified trainers across Africa over the next decade; a G20 Global Healthcare Response Team; and a G20 initiative to counter the drug–terror nexus to disrupt trafficking networks and choke illicit financial flows that fund terrorism.
The declaration also reaffirmed the UN Charter principle that states must refrain from the threat or use of force to acquire territory and stressed the promotion of friendly relations among nations and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
By carrying forward the language and initiatives from the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration, the Johannesburg communiqué underlined India’s continuing influence on the G20 agenda and highlighted efforts to give a stronger voice to the Global South on issues ranging from climate finance and disaster resilience to technology and skills development.
(IANS)