World leaders are gathering in Johannesburg, South Africa’s economic capital, this weekend for the annual Group of 20 (G20) leaders’ summit –  the first ever to be held in an African country amid a boycott by the United States over widely discredited claims that the host country mistreats white people.

About 42 countries and institutions will be represented at the meeting that starts on Saturday, but the US under President Donald Trump — who has condemned South Africa’s position as host — will be conspicuously absent.

Washington, a founding member of the group, is next in line to take over the rotating presidency from Pretoria, and South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised to symbolically hand over to an empty chair if necessary.

On Thursday, Ramaphosa said the US had reached out at the last minute to agree on some kind of participation, but did not disclose details. But within hours, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt hit back, accusing Ramaphosa of “running his mouth,” insisting that the US position had not changed, and that the South African leader’s comments were “not appreciated by the president [Trump] or his team.”

She did, however, indicate that the US would send an official for the handover ceremony, as it takes over the G20’s presidency from South Africa. Acting US ambassador to South Africa Marc D Dillard might be the official tasked with this responsibility, though this has not yet been confirmed.

Despite the drama over the US attendance, Johannesburg has been buzzing with activity all week in preparation for the summit, as workers clean up and decorate the bustling city. Ramaphosa himself drew surprise when he donned dungarees and picked up cleaning tools.

Bright flowers and colourful G20 billboards adorn the streets through which dignitaries will pass on their way from the OR Tambo International Airport into the city.

At least 3,500 extra police officials have been deployed to bolster security for the high-level guests, while the army has been placed on standby.

Some South Africans, though, have voiced criticism of the expensive event, pointing to the economic challenges the country faces. Several protests by organisations from climate action groups to women’s rights defenders are also planned around the airport and the venue of the summit.

Here’s what we know about the summit:

What is the G20, and when is the summit?

The G20 was founded in 1999 as an informal economic grouping of the world’s biggest economic powers.

But it was the 2008 economic crisis that propelled the G20 into prominence: In a world where major Global South economies like China and India were playing increasingly vital roles, the G7 grouping of seven wealthy nations was no longer equipped to stop the financial bloodbath that spanned continents.

Since then, G20 leaders have met at least once every year for summits.

The grouping originally comprised 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States), plus the European Union as the 20th entity. Since 2023, the African Union has been a member, too. Combined, they represent 85 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP) and two-thirds of the world’s population, according to the G20.

G20 country representatives meet throughout the year to discuss pressing issues. But in November, the leaders meet for the annual summit.

The leaders’ summit marks the culmination of the host country’s yearlong stewardship and usually ends with a non-binding leaders’ declaration. In Brazil last November, leaders issued a statement reaffirming their commitment to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals by a 2030 deadline.

South Africa has held the presidency since November 2024 and will hand over to the US on November 30, 2025. This weekend’s meeting will take place over two days from Saturday, November 22 at Johannesburg’s 150,000 square-metre Nasrec Expo Centre, the country’s largest convention centre.

Who is attending?

Forty-two countries and organisations have confirmed their attendance, according to South African officials speaking to reporters on Monday.

At least six heads of state are not attending the summit, though apart from the US, the others are sending high-level representatives, Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said, describing this attendance rate is a “success” for South Africa.

Some of the most notable names expected at the summit include: China’s Premier Li Qiang, French President Emmanuel Macron, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

African Union Commission chairperson Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also be present.

Why is the US boycotting the summit this year?

Trump’s absence from the meeting will be the most notable and has threatened to overshadow the summit’s agenda and undermine South Africa’s position.

Last week, the US president denounced South Africa’s leadership of the G20 and said he would not attend, citing alleged discrimination against South Africa’s minority white population and inaccurately alleging a “genocide” of white farmers.

Trump has made several unsubstantiated claims of “genocide” since he returned to the White House in January, following South Africa’s passing of a new law seeking to address disparities in land ownership, three-quarters of which is owned by the country’s white minority.

In February, the Trump administration cut foreign aid to South Africa, a move which could be a major threat to the nation’s HIV response, according to experts.

During a heated exchange with Trump at the White House in May, President Ramaphosa denied claims of a “white genocide” and said South Africa generally experiences high crime rates, which affect all ethnicities.

In July, Trump said that while he might not attend the G20 summit, he would send Vice President JD Vance instead. However, on November 8, Trump doubled down on claims of “human rights abuses” by South Africa in a post on his social platform Truth Social, and said no US official would be attending the forum.

“It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa,” he wrote, while recounting his claims again. “No US Government Official will attend as long as these Human Rights abuses continue. I look forward to hosting the 2026 G20 in Miami, Florida!” he added.

South African officials have attempted to downplay the US’s absence. Ramaphosa, speaking to journalists in Cape Town after Trump’s announcement, said the action would likely not have an impact.

“It is unfortunate that the United States has decided not to attend the G20,” he said. “All I can say in my experience in politics is that boycotts never really work. They have a very contradictory effect.”

In another comment to the media, Ramaphosa told reporters the US boycott was “their loss”. The South African leader, this week, however, said he would hand over the presidency to an empty seat meant for the US representative in a symbolic gesture, and stressed the need to repair ties with Washington.

Who else will not attend?

• Argentina’s Javier Milei, a Trump ally, will not attend the meeting either but will send Foreign Minister Pablo Quirino. Milei did not state why he withdrew.
• China’s Foreign Ministry on November 14 also announced that President Xi Jinping had cancelled his attendance at the meeting, and would instead be represented by Prime Minister Li Qiang. The ministry did not state why, but South Africa and China have a thriving trade relationship. President Xi was in the country for the 2023 BRICS summit, another informal grouping of developing powers.
• The Kremlin announced in October that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin would not attend the meeting, and would instead send his deputy head of the presidential administration, Maxim Oreshkin. Putin is the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Ukraine and, as a signatory, South Africa is legally obliged to arrest him if he sets foot in the country.
• Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu cancelled his trip after 25 girls were kidnapped this week from their school amid a security crisis in the country.
• Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum will not attend due to scheduled appointments in the country, the government announced this week. Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente usually represents her abroad.

What’s on the agenda?

South Africa, as host, will emphasise issues which affect Global South countries and is hoping to persuade leaders to collectively pledge their commitment to addressing topics from economic inequalities to improving development financing for vulnerable countries.

South Africa will also lobby countries to commit to scaling up their spending on climate-disaster resilience and disaster responses globally; increase the amount of climate finance flowing from richer to poorer nations; provide better debt restructuring and relief for poorer nations via international financial institutions and bilateral lending; and prioritise local communities and source countries amid a race among global powers for access to critical minerals, some of which are concentrated in African countries.

South Africa has not hosted an international event on this scale since the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Despite the snub from the US, this is an important moment for the country, and for Africa, Gilad Isaacs, executive director of South African think tank, the Institute for Economic Justice, told Al Jazeera, saying Pretoria has put “real issues” affecting African countries on the agenda this time.

“The US boycott will not derail the work,” Isaacs said. “The credibility of the presidency will be measured not by the presence of any one country, but by whether the agenda set in the interests of the Global South is carried through and used in other forums.”

What protests are planned?

Several protests are being planned around the event, starting on Friday. Deputy national commissioner for policing Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili told reporters on Tuesday that authorities are expecting protests in Johannesburg and other major South African cities.

“We will allow that right (to protest) to be exercised,” she said. “But within the proper directives and proper confines of the law.”

Femicide protests

One of the largest demonstrations is planned by the Women for Change advocacy group, which is calling for a national shutdown on Friday, the eve of the summit, to protest against South Africa’s soaring rates of violence against women and femicide. Three women are killed by intimate partners every day, according to government figures.

The organisation has led a significant social media campaign in the days leading up to the event to create awareness. On Friday, it is asking South African women to boycott work and school and to wear all black to signify mourning. Women are also being urged to lie down for 15 minutes at 12:00 local time (10:00 GMT) in honour of the women murdered.

“Because, until South Africa stops burying a woman every 2.5 hours, the G20 cannot speak of growth and progress,” Women for Change said in a campaign statement.

In an impassioned statement during a sideline G20 event on Thursday evening, President Ramaphosa attempted to show solidarity with women, declaring gender-based violence and femicide both a national and global crisis. Women’s rights groups, however, say they are pushing for femicide to be declared a national disaster.

Climate change protests

On Thursday, a coalition of climate change and wealth inequality activists called The Citizen began an alternative summit in Johannesburg, decrying the G20 gathering as “for the rich”.

White minority protests

Separately, Solidarity, a trade union representing members of South Africa’s Afrikaner white minority, is also set to protest against the alleged marginalisation of white South Africans. The organisation has put up controversial billboards around Johannesburg that say: “Welcome to the most RACE-REGULATED country in the world.”

Unemployment protests

Meanwhile, Operation Dudula, a South African anti-immigration group, says it will protest against joblessness and poverty in the country. South Africa’s 31 percent unemployment rate is one of the highest in the world.