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G20 Foreign Ministers Cancel Group Photo, Use Chair Summary

By Drooid · Oct 31, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

U.S. officials said the G20 foreign ministers meeting in Atlanta cancelled its traditional group photo.
They dropped the photo to avoid a distraction, according to U.S. officials.
The summit will close with a U.S.-drafted chair summary instead of a joint communique.
South Africa was excluded from the foreign-ministers meeting.
Its foreign ministry said the non-participation was not voluntary.

History

The United Nations condemned apartheid with Resolution 1761 in 1962 and with the 1972 Security Council Resolution 311, passed unanimously (14-to-0). The 2024 G20 foreign-ministers summit in Atlanta excluded South Africa and skipped its customary group photo, echoing earlier diplomatic snubs by the United States, United Kingdom and France that blocked a 1974 motion to eject the country.

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The United Nations condemned apartheid with Resolution 1761 in 1962 and with the 1972 Security Council Resolution 311, passed unanimously (14-to-0). The 2024 G20 foreign-ministers summit in Atlanta excluded South Africa and skipped its customary group photo, echoing earlier diplomatic snubs by the United States, United Kingdom and France that blocked a 1974 motion to eject the country.

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