JOHANNESBURG – The world’s most influential nations gathered in South Africa to work around Washington’s disruptive foreign policy Saturday, reaching consensus on issues like climate change and gender equality while pushing back on a Ukraine deal that western allies deemed insufficient.
For Canada, disruptive geopolitics led to a technology pact with India, a recent foe, along with a cut to Ottawa’s funding for global health and talks with countries grappling with American and Chinese trade coercion.
“It is a great day for multilateralism,” Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told reporters in Johannesburg.
“Canada is utilizing every opportunity, multilaterally and bilaterally. to ensure that our interests are asserted — not only in terms of our economic robustness domestically, but also in terms of our core values.”
U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a boycott of the summit, accusing South Africa of enabling anti-white violence. Johannesburg says Trump’s claims do not reflect crime statistics or reality.
The boycott had analysts concerned the G20 would not have a joint declaration, which would mar the first leaders’ summit held on the African continent.
But early Saturday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced countries had found “overwhelming consensus” to adopt an agreement, which spanned 122 paragraphs.
The agreement included calls for tackling violence against women, with large protests across South Africa on Friday that coincided with South Africa declaring femicide a national disaster.
Ramaphosa’s spokesman Vincent Magwenya told reporters that it was the right decision after 12 months of work by countries representing most of the world’s population.
“We need to move forward; we cannot be held back by one country, by its own whims,” he said.
South Africa convened G20 leaders in a morning session on inclusive economic growth such as reforming financing for development, and an afternoon session on climate change, food systems and clean energy.
Magwenya called the U.S. boycott “a short-term blip,” noting the U.S. will chair the G20 next, and that the U.K. has said it’s ready to take on the 2027 presidency that follows.
He also said South Africa is rejecting an American proposal to formally receive the chairmanship Sunday by sending the temporary head of the American embassy in Pretoria.
“It’s a breach of protocol. It has never happened before and it was never going to happen for the first time here,” he said.
The U.S. faced further pushback over the Trump administration’s proposed peace deal for Ukraine, which has been widely seen as favouring Moscow.
The plan calls for Ukraine to hand over territory, reduce the size of its army and to not join the NATO alliance, with limited security guarantees for Kyiv.
Canada joined European nations and Japan in issuing a statement, saying leaders support American efforts toward peace but feel the plan needs more work.
Anand would not specify exactly what is wrong with Trump’s plan, but says Canada’s long-standing belief is that Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty is key and it’s up to Kyiv to decide on its future.
She added that Ukraine is “top priority” in Canada’s foreign policy, for ensuring a rules-based international order.
Elsewhere during the summit, Prime Minister Mark Carney took part in an event between the European Union and Vietnam, which is chairing a trade bloc of Pacific Rim countries including Canada who believe in rules-based trade.
Canada has tried to position itself as a bridge for countries who believe in free trade, and reject coercive practices such as American tariffs and Chinese import bans.
Canada is part of the Pacific Rim trade bloc — called the CPTPP — and has a free-trade agreement with the European Union, which is exploring more trade with the Pacific bloc.
Carney also took part in a brief meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, launching a partnership on emerging technologies.
The trilateral agreement aims to have the three democracies work together to diversify supply chains, use clean energy and help with further uptake of artificial intelligence.
The move comes as Canada resets its relationship with India after two years of strain related to the RCMP saying New Delhi has a role in the murder and extortion of Canadian citizens.
Carney also met Saturday with leaders from Turkey, France, Germany, Jamaica, Norway, the European Union and the World Trade Organization, and was set to meet in the evening with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
In his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as prime minister, Carney is spending roughly 48 hours in South Africa and not visiting any other country.
Carney arrived in Johannesburg just after Canadian officials in the city announced Ottawa would for the first time ever cut back its support for the Global Fund, a major health organization that tackles infectious diseases like tuberculosis and HIV.
Anand noted that Canada’s contribution this year represents a large percentage share of the total Global Fund contributions, which have overall decreased.
She said Canada is still a major foreign-aid donor, adding Ottawa is still dedicated to a collaborative relationship with African countries through its regional strategy — despite the Africa strategy having no specific funding.
“There is focus not only on trade and development programs but also generating mutual prosperity — and making sure that mutual prosperity and economic benefit accrue to Africans and Canadians alike,” she said.
“We’re developing mutually beneficial relationships with reliable partners in Africa, and we’re safeguarding Canada’s interests.”
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