The leaders of the Group of 20 (G20) have reaffirmed their commitment “to ensure that no one is left behind through multilateral cooperation, macro policy coordination, global partnerships for sustainable development and solidarity.” Meeting against the backdrop of rising geopolitical instability, deepening inequality, and increasing global economic uncertainty, the leaders underscored their belief in multilateral cooperation to address shared challenges.

The 30-page outcome document of the 2025 G20 Summit is guided by the South African Presidency’s vision of solidarity, equality, and sustainability and its priorities of: strengthening disaster resilience and response; taking action to ensure debt sustainability for low-income countries; mobilizing finance for a just energy transition; and harnessing critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development.

To strengthen disaster resilience and response, the Leaders’ Declaration highlights the importance of integrated, inclusive, people-centered, and comprehensive approaches to disaster risk reduction (DRR). The Declaration encourages the global community to address post-disaster recovery, reconstruction, and rebuilding, as well as disaster mitigation, preparedness, and adaptation measures in ways that promote sustainable resilience, particularly for developing and vulnerable countries. To that end, the leaders call for the expansion and greater use of affordable, inclusive, and accessible financing mechanisms.

To ensure debt sustainability for low-income countries, the leaders recognize that high levels of debt limit developing countries’ ability to invest in infrastructure, disaster resilience, healthcare, education, and other development needs. They reiterate their commitment to further strengthen the implementation of the G20 Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) and express their support for the ongoing review of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-World Bank Low-income Countries Debt Sustainability Framework (LIC-DSF).

Underscoring that “energy security remains fundamental to national sovereignty, economic development, stability, and global prosperity,” the leaders support efforts to mobilize finance for just energy transitions and to triple renewable energy capacity and double the average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements globally. The Declaration makes no reference to fossil fuel subsidy reform – a pledge the leaders have reaffirmed every year since 2009.

To harness critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development, the leaders welcome the G20 Critical Minerals Framework and express their support for:

• Increased exploration of critical minerals, particularly in developing countries;
• Promoting diversification of mineral sources, routes, markets, processing locations, and value chains;
• Enhanced value retention and beneficiation in mineral endowed developing countries; and
• The implementation of robust, non-discriminatory, and relevant standards on economic, social, and environmental aspects in accordance with national frameworks.

The Declaration outlines the leaders’ commitments in the areas of inclusive economic growth and reduced inequality, food security, artificial intelligence (AI) and innovation for sustainable development, partnerships, and finance. It reaffirms the leaders’ commitment to continue working together to: enhance the international financial architecture; increase flows of sustainable finance; protect financial stability and support financial inclusion; and stabilize the international tax system and enhance domestic resource mobilization.

In a section on the G20’s contribution to the global development agenda and to fostering equitable global governance, the leaders inter alia: note the UN80 initiative; call for an enlarged Security Council composition that improves the representation of the underrepresented and unrepresented regions and groups; call on all G20 members and other countries to support the adoption and progressive implementation of universal social protection systems; reaffirm the Paris Agreement temperature goal of holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels; reaffirm the commitment to the swift, full, and effective implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) adopted at the COP15 to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); stress the need to scale up efforts to Combat Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought; commit to work towards constructive outcomes of the 2026 UN Water Conference; encourage innovative mechanisms that seek to mobilise new and diverse sources of funding to pay for ecosystem services; welcome the entry into force of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries subsidies; commit to significantly increase investment and social protection in the care economy and adopt measures to address stereotypes; and will continue the dialogue on migration and forced displacement during future Presidencies.

Convening the Summit in Africa for the first time, the G20 met in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 22-23 November 2025, immediately following the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 30).

The G20 includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, the UK, and the US, as well as the African Union (AU) and the EU. The US did not attend this year’s Summit.

Also invited to the Summit were 16 guest countries and six countries representing Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in Africa, the Caribbean, and East Asia.

The G20 leaders are expected to meet in the US in 2026, in the UK in 2027, and in the Republic of Korea in 2028. [G20 South Africa]