JOHANNESBURG- The declaration of the G20 leaders' summit in Johannesburg, adopted without the participation of the US, underlines the seriousness of climate change, Reuters reported. Text The statement was unanimously adopted by all members of the group present, AP quoted Vincent Magwenya, spokesman for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, as saying. The leaders broadly condemned attacks on civilians and infrastructure and called for a peaceful resolution to the conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Congo and the Palestinian territories. Russia, Israel and their leaders Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu were not mentioned by name.
The signatories committed to address the high debt levels of low-income countries, which constrain their development. The summit also recognised the huge deficit in access to electricity and clean cooking in Africa. Leaders committed to tripling global renewable energy capacity and doubling the pace of energy efficiency improvements by 2030, supported by affordable financing and technology for developing countries. The summit emphasized strong support for Africa to promote economic growth, the continent.
„Usually the declaration is approved only at the very end. But the prevailing view was that we should first adopt the summit declaration as the first item on the agenda,“ Magwenya told reporters, according to AP. This year's meeting is being boycotted by the United States, whose President Donald Trump has long questioned the science on human influence on climate change. As a result, the United States did not participate in the draft text, which a Trump administration official called shameful, according to Reuters.
The Trump administration pressured South Africa not to accept the leaders' declaration in the absence of the US delegation, South African officials said, according to AP. South Africa is celebrating the approval of the text as a victory for the first G20 summit held in Africa, according to the AP. The two-day summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, began today. The official agenda will focus on the sustainability of debt-ridden, low-income countries and more equitable use of the African continent's mineral resources. South Africa, as the host country, wants to Media at the same time to alert world leaders to the impacts of climate change on countries in the Global South. However, European leaders will discuss in particular the situation in Ukraine, Reuters reported earlier.
The G20 is made up of 21 members - the European Union and the African Union, in addition to 19 countries. Together, G20 members represent 85 percent of the world economy. However, according to the South African Foreign Minister, representatives of 42 countries are attending the Johannesburg summit. Traditionally, a number of international institutions, such as the United Nations and the World Bank, also participate in the meeting. UN Secretary-General António Guterres is also attending. The meeting is also taking place in the shadow of strained relations between the United States and South Africa. Trump had previously announced that he would not travel to South Africa for the G20 summit and that he would be represented by Vice President J.D. Vance. But earlier this month, he announced that his administration would not send anyone to the summit. He justified this on the grounds that, in his view, the white minority in South Africa was being oppressed. The South African government rejects such claims.
ČTK / ceskenoviny.cz / gnews.cz-jav
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