This year has been a litmus test for Europe's relations with the Global South, a region that accounts for 88 of the world's population. The US, Europe's longtime default partner in international development, has dialled down its engagement with the Global South under President Donald Trump, whose recent boycott of the G20 heads of state summit in South Africa sent a clear message about his foreign policy priorities. Yet Washington's absence did not derail the agenda as many analysts had divined. South Africa was still able to press forward with a declaration that placed the concerns of developing economies at the centre.
The declaration , backed emphatically by European leaders, opens with a call for greater support to poorer nations confronting climate change and other disasters. The 30-page document goes on to reflect other pressing concerns of less economically developed countries, including taking action to ensure debt sustainability for low-income countries mobilising finance for just energy transitions and harnessing critical minerals for inclusive growth and sustainable development.
From the outset of its presidency, Pretoria defined its priorities around equality, inclusion, sustainability, and cooperation for development - concerns widely shared by other nations in the global south as well as with the European Union EU.