South Africa sought to salvage international talks on tackling global poverty on Wednesday as finance chiefs from several leading economies skipped a gathering of Group of 20 nations in Cape Town held against a backdrop of foreign aid cuts.

The G20 meeting in Cape Town faced challenges as key finance chiefs were absent, highlighting global dissonance in tackling poverty and climate change. Despite calls for cooperation, major disputes and foreign aid cuts further strained efforts to create impactful solutions,

The two-day meeting in Cape Town ended without a communique, with current G20 leader South Africa saying there was not sufficient consensus to issue one. In his opening remarks at the event, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa referred to the fractured geopolitical climate and stressed the importance of international cooperation.