07/10/2024
Another historic meeting will take place this November—will it prove a success?
Look no further than Brazil for this year’s G20 summit meeting. Rio de Janeiro will gather world leaders on November 18th in hopes of solving the world’s most pressing issues. Buckle in for a high-speed tour of need-to-know info, from a breakdown of the 21 G20 nations (all will be revealed) and its lasting effect on world politics.
Members of the G20: who will be there and what does it mean?
So, what is the G20 summit, and more importantly—what is G20 short for? Just “Group of 20”—not very exciting, sorry. But the circumstances that led to the group’s formation are somewhat more dramatic. The Asian Financial Crisis of 1999 served as stimulus for Earth’s mightiest Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to assemble and prevent economic Armageddon. This yearly meeting was elevated to leadership level in 2008 to respond to the new millennium’s Great Depression.
G8 Countries
G8 is a group that started back in 1975, previously G7 but with Russia as a late addition. The “Group of Eight” originated with informal summits between leaders of the century’s most urbanized nations. That’s the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United Kingdom.
AU and EU membership
The group has since expanded to G20, in which the entirety of the EU has a spokesman, along with the newly-added African Union—which technically makes it G21. We’ve asked for a comment but apparently a name change is not top of their agenda.
Remaining members of the G20 and permanent guest invitees
The remaining members of the G20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey. Permanent guest invitees include Spain along with UN, WHO and other organizations.
What does the G20 do? Significant G20 summits since 2008
The G20 countries make up around 80% of the human population. Add to that a whopping 85% share of global economic output and 75% of global exports, and you realize the kind of influence we’re talking about. So, that aside, what does the G20 do, exactly?
Their hour of honor came during the 2008 financial crisis, whereby the group “rescued a global financial system in free fall.” In the two successive years, world leaders agreed spending of around $4 trillion to revive the world economy and establish global reform. Results have varied since. Regardless, here are a few key moments in the history of the G20 summit.
Antalya G20 Summit, 2015
The G20 summit in Turkey was the first to examine migration and refugee movements. There were sector reforms and a binding agreement to support the global climate agreement. While critics had commented on G20’s waning effectiveness since the financial crisis in 2008, Antalya demonstrated its continued ability to forge agreements at UN level. The UN Climate Change Conference group of Antalya was reformed at the subsequent Paris G20, with all parties pledging to keep global warming below 2° C.
Osaka G20 Summit, 2019
Most of the criticism levelled at G20 summits has been fueled by world leaders’ inability to meet on core issues. Main talking/entertainment points of the G20 summit in Osaka revolved around Donald Trump’s disruptive behavior. That said, Trump did agree to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to resume trade agreements and reconsider sanctions.
Delhi Summit, 2023
Last year we saw a joint condemnation against “human suffering and adverse repercussions of the conflict in Ukraine on global food and energy security”. This somewhat vague wording was branded by Ukraine as “nothing to be proud of”. The most significant milestone was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to the African Union to become a permanent member of the G20—the agreement was unanimous.
What are the talking points for Rio de Janeiro G20 Summit meeting
Rio de Janeiro G20 is committed to “Building a Fair World and a Sustainable Planet.” There will be three big cue cards on the table: climate change, sustainable development and world hunger. Here’s how Brazil intends to start its new legacy in foreign affairs.
Climate Change
Brazil is creating two task forces. The first is The Task Force for the Global Mobilization Against Climate Change, with the idea of promoting dialogue around the Paris Agreement and implementing its goals. It aims to restore trust in actions against the climate emergency.
Sustainable Development
The pre-existing Development Working Group will have a clear focus at this year’s G20. Rio de Janeiro will see world leaders work towards development and poverty reduction, engaging developing countries both in and outside of the G20. Rio de Janeiro 2024 will therefore dedicate a large chunk of time to promoting debates on social inclusion and global access to clean water.
World Hunger
The Task Force for a Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty will focus on policies and technologies that reduce hunger and poverty around the world. The alliance will be open to countries both in and outside of the G20.
