End of a Cycle: South Africa’s G20 Presidency and the Future of Global Cooperation

South Africa's 2025 G20 presidency marks the end of the group's first cycle, occurring amidst a global shift away from multilateralism and consensus. South Africa has focused its presidency on "solidarity, equality, and sustainability," prioritizing disaster resilience, debt sustainability for low-income countries, finance for a just energy transition, and the sustainable use of critical minerals. However, these goals face significant opposition from the second Trump administration, which has rejected the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals, and priorities related to climate change and DEI. The document argues that the G20 must evolve its modus operandi to remain relevant in a divided world and ensure that developmental commitments for the Global South are maintained beyond 2026.

• South Africa's 2025 G20 presidency is centered on three overarching themes: "solidarity, equality, and sustainability".
• The South African presidency has identified four priority areas for the G20: scaling up post-disaster reconstruction for climate-induced disasters; improving the G20 Common Framework on Debt Sustainability to address liquidity challenges and high capital costs for developing countries; increasing the quality and quantity of climate finance for just energy transitions; and ensuring that the extraction of critical minerals benefits local communities and source countries in Africa.
• The second Trump administration in the US has actively rejected the core priorities of South Africa's presidency, including climate change and the framework of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), while withdrawing from or downplaying global institutions and the Paris Agreement.
• South Africa utilizes a dual strategy through its engagement with the G20 and BRICS: using the G20 to push for a stronger developmental agenda with Northern powers, and using BRICS as a platform for South-South cooperation to reduce dependence on the US-dominated financial system.
• As the final presidency of the first G20 cycle, South Africa is conducting a "G20@20" review via member country questionnaires and assessments to provide recommendations for the group's future effectiveness.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2025). End of a Cycle: South Africa’s G20 Presidency and the Future of Global Cooperation. https://saiia.org.za/research/end-of-a-cycle-south-africas-g20-presidency-and-the-future-of-global-cooperation/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. End of a Cycle: South Africa’s G20 Presidency and the Future of Global Cooperation. 2025. https://saiia.org.za/research/end-of-a-cycle-south-africas-g20-presidency-and-the-future-of-global-cooperation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=End of a Cycle: South Africa’s G20 Presidency and the Future of Global Cooperation |date=15 August 2025 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/end-of-a-cycle-south-africas-g20-presidency-and-the-future-of-global-cooperation/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2025end, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{End of a Cycle: South Africa’s G20 Presidency and the Future of Global Cooperation}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2025}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/end-of-a-cycle-south-africas-g20-presidency-and-the-future-of-global-cooperation/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }