Johannesburg. Leaders and delegates from the world's richest nations and top developing countries are gathering this weekend for the Group of 20 summit in South Africa, an event overshadowed by the boycott of US President Donald Trump and his administration.

Africa's first G20 summit will see representatives of 42 countries, but not the United States, a founding member of the group and one that's supposed to be taking over its rotating presidency in Johannesburg.

Trump has denounced South Africa's leadership of the G20 and said he would not attend, citing alleged discrimination of the country’s white farmers. South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has said he’s told Trump that information about the alleged persecution of Afrikaners is “completely false.”

Last Friday, Trump also said that no US officials would attend the gathering. The US boycott has dominated discussions -- more so than the summit's agenda, which includes climate resilience, debt sustainability for poor nations, and growing inequality.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this year skipped the G20 meeting of foreign ministers, followed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen,t who missed the finance ministers meeting. The United States has also urged member nations not to adopt a “Leaders Declaration” at the end of the summit, which would signal a multilateral consensus.

Still, Johannesburg has been a hive of activity ahead of the summit -- workers have undertaken a massive clean-up of the streets and bright flowers have been planted along some city roads, adorned with colorful G20 banners and billboards.

An Empty Chair
While the hosts have admitted that the US absence raises concerns about the summit's ultimate success, South Africa's foreign minister, Ronald Lamola, said Tuesday it was also an opportunity “to send a clear message that the world can move on" without the US -- but that it won't be easy.

“It will not be a walk in the park, but when there is global consensus, we can find persuasive means to enable the world to function,” Lamola said.

He downplayed both Trump's absence and those of other heads of state who are not making it to Johannesburg, saying that a “100 percent attendance of heads of state” has never happened.

Lamola also cited China's Xi Jinping, who has not been travelling much this year, instead sending Premier Li Qiang to represent him -- including in South Africa.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will also be absent from the summit as there is an arrest warrant against him by the International Criminal Court over Russia's war on Ukraine.

The warrant obliges South Africa, a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the court, to arrest Putin if he steps on its territory. Putin also missed the summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies in South Africa in 2023 for the same reason.

Advancing an Inclusive Agenda
South Africa has used its presidency of the G20 to push for action to address the challenges of poor nations -- such as securing financing to help countries facing the devastating effects of climate change, something independent experts estimate would require about $1 trillion a year by 2030.

On Tuesday, an expert panel's report called for the International Monetary Fund and G20 countries to adopt broad measures to refinance the debt of poor nations.

The African Union, a G20 member, plans to speak for African countries facing climate change challenges and financial pressures, according to Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the chairperson of the African Union Commission.

Brian Kagoro, managing director at the think-tank Open Society Foundations, said that while the US boycott is “regrettable,” what matters most is the substance of what Africa advances at the summit.

“If anything, the situation underscores the need to accelerate global governance reform, ensuring that all regions, including Africa, have a meaningful voice in setting global priorities,” Kagoro said.

Support for the Summit
Other powerful countries -- including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom -- have backed the G20 summit, and their leaders are expected to arrive in South Africa on Friday, ahead of the two-day event, with many bilateral talks expected on the sidelines of the summit.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has also confirmed his attendance.

“I will be there and I am totally committed to work within the G20, to move all the key reforms that are essential in the international financial system and to create the conditions for the development agenda, particularly in Africa, to be sustainable,” Guterres said while in Angola last week.

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