Eoghan Dalton reports from Johannesburg

DESCRIPTIONS OF SOUTH Africa’s goals for this year’s G20 summit as “anti-American” are well off the mark, according to the Taoiseach.

Micheál Martin pointed to the attendance of “all European member states” at the conference in Johannesburg as a sign that there was little issue with South Africa’s goals for promoting issues like equality and sustainable development.

He said he doesn’t “see there’s an anti-American” slant to proceedings despite claims made by senior figures in the Trump administration about South Africa’s goals.

“But also it’s important that we’re there to argue alternative views,” Martin told Irish media in the Nasrec convention centre.

“At the end of the day, there has to be engagement. President Trump engages with countries all over the world, and has particularly in terms of conflicts but also in terms of economic relationships.

The “anti-American” description actually dates back to February, when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rubbished South Africa’s plans for its first time overseeing the G20.

While Rubio’s attack is almost a year old at this point, The Journal has heard it cited a number of times by officials attending this weekend’s summit as attendees grapple with the US boycott of this year’s G20 events.

I will NOT attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg.

South Africa is doing very bad things. Expropriating private property. Using G20 to promote “solidarity, equality, & sustainability.” In other words: DEI and climate change.

My job is to advance America’s national interests, not…

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) February 5, 2025

Rubio accused the host nation of using the G20 to “coddle anti-Americanism” by way of the core themes it had selected for this year’s high-level meeting.

Those themes are solidarity, equality and sustainability. However, to Rubio this was a veiled way of promoting “DEI and climate change”, meaning diversity and inclusion policies.

The US has doubled down on the stance since since then, telling the United Nations in March that a “course correction” was needed on gender and climate issues.

It was hitting out at Sustainable Development Goals supported by the UN and other international bodies. In essence, these goals are supposed to be the world’s roadmap for ending poverty, protecting the planet and tackling inequalities.

However, the pushback against these issues has still made its mark upon this year’s G20 summit.

Martin and other officials attending the gathering in Johannesburg have said that gender issues and climate change had become sticking points in the negotiations to agree on a final declaration.

It’s understood the declaration – to be formally signed off on today – is viewed by some delegates as having watered down its aims so that it could acquire a broad consensus among all states who attended the summit.

The Taoiseach said that these negotiations were “torturous” as they hit roadblocks over the climate and gender goals.

But he added: “I think that what emerges from this summit some is a degree of resilience from a lot of countries, that these issues matter.”