G20 South Africa Summit echoes the aspirations of the Global South

The 2025 G20 Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa from November 22 to November 23 under the Presidency of South Africa, was historic, as it marked the first time that such Summit was held on the African continent. Notably, the last four G20 Summits have now been held under the Presidency of a country belonging to the Global South, following Indonesia in 2022, India in 2023 and Brazil in 2024.

Although the 2025 G20 Summit was conspicuous by the absence of prominent global leaders like the United States President Donald Trump, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, it was a success as it not only reaffirmed commitment to multilateralism but also echoed the aspirations of the Global South in the G20 South Africa Summit: Leaders’ Declaration. The Declaration reaffirmed the commitment of the G20 to “ ensure that no one is left behind through multilateral cooperation, macro policy coordination, global partnerships for sustainable development and solidarity”.

India, under Prime Minister Modi, has emerged as a leading voice of the Global South.