No-shows, aid cuts mar G20 meet on global poverty

Delegates arrive at the Cape Town International Convention Centre during the G20 Finance Ministers meeting in Cape Town, South Africa February 25, 2025. REUTERS/Nic Bothma

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

The two-day meeting comes after the Trump administration announced plans to gut its USAID arm and Britain slashed its aid budget by 40% to divert funds towards defence spending.