The US can have the G20 Presidency handover at DIRCO’s offices

The American government, which will take the reins of the G20 Presidency from South Africa, is likely to have the symbolic handover at the headquarters of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).

This comes after US officials boycotted South Africa’s G20 Presidency. Expecting other G20 nations to do the same and not adopt the declaration, leaders did the opposite.

They adopted it from the get go of the leaders’ summit, with all except Argentina supporting.

Speaking to Newsday, DIRCO spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said that after announcing its ‘total boycott,’ the US government then indicated that they would have liked to attend the closing ceremony on 23 November.

The US expected that President Cyril Ramaphosa would hand over to a chargé d’affaires, which is an acting ambassador.

“We have communicated to the American government that the president will not be handing over to a junior official of the embassy,” said Phiri.

“As a result, we don’t anticipate that there will be any form of handover here [at the summit]. We will have a handover at the headquarters of DIRCO at the appropriate level,” he added.

The US boycott

The G20 summit in Johannesburg successfully adopted a leaders’ declaration, overcoming resistance from the absent United States.

“It is a longstanding G20 tradition to issue only consensus deliverables, and it is shameful that the South African government is now trying to depart from this standard practice,” a senior Trump administration official told Reuters

The declaration marks a significant triumph for South Africa’s presidency, placing the priorities of the Global South at the centre of the international agenda.

The declaration employed a language style that the Trump administration dislikes: the seriousness of climate change, the importance of improved adaptation, ambitious goals for renewable energy, and highlighting the heavy debt burdens faced by developing countries.

Washington had made clear in the months leading up to the event that it opposed any formal declaration, suggesting that a weaker Chair’s Statement could suffice instead.

The boycott and warnings from the US cast a shadow over the proceedings, raising questions about whether a consensus could be reached without America’s participation.

Yet, Ramaphosa and his diplomatic team repeatedly stressed that the summit should not be dictated by absent or dissenting members.

“We will not be bullied,” Ramaphosa declared this week, signalling his determination to advance the host country’s agenda regardless of external pressure.

Argentina’s President Javier Milei opted not to attend, which presented another challenge.

Concerns were raised over whether his absence would weaken support for the proposed declaration, particularly regarding financial reforms and climate policies.

Despite this, Argentina’s delegation at the working level remained engaged, but missed the crucial Friday meeting.