As of December 1, 2020, Italy holds the Presidency of the G20, the international forum that brings together the world’s leading economies.
What is the G20?
The G20 is the international forum that brings together the world’s leading economies. Its member countries represent more than 80% of the world’s GDP, 75% of global trade and 60% of the planet’s population.
The G20 has been held annually since 1999, when, following the 1997 economic crisis, the G7 Finance Ministers announced the creation of the “Group of 20”. with the aim of involving other countries in discussions on the global economy and finance. The first official meeting of the G20 was held in Berlin in December of the same year.
Since 2008, a final summit has been held, with the participation of Heads of State and Government. In 2009, at the Pittsburgh Summit, the Heads of State and Government decided to institutionalize the G20 as the main forum for economic and financial cooperation at global level. Since 2010, G20 Leaders have been meeting annually.
In addition to the Summit, ministerial meetings, Sherpa meetings (responsible for conducting negotiations and facilitating consensus among Leaders), working group meetings and special events are held during the year of the Presidency.
Member States
The member countries of the G20 are: Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, France, Germany, Japan, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, United Kingdom, Russia, United States, South Africa, Turkey and the European Union. These are joined by Spain, which is a permanent G20 invitee.
Each year, the Presidency invites a number of other countries, which participate fully in the work of the G20, as guests. A number of international and regional organizations also participate, giving the forum even greater representativeness.
Italian G20 Presidency
In 2021 the international community will be called upon to show courage and ambition in order to overcome the great challenges of today: from pandemic to climate change, from support to innovation to the fight against poverty and inequality.
The program of the Italian Presidency is articulated around the trinomial People, Planet, Prosperity. Its objective is therefore the protection of the planet and people, ensuring a strong economic recovery that is both inclusive and sustainable.
The work carried out during the year of the Italian Presidency will culminate in the G20 Leaders’ Summit, which will be held in Rome on October 30 and 31.
The Italian Presidency and the European Commission will also jointly host the G20 Global Health Summit, which will take place in Rome on May 21, at the highest level, where the solutions needed to address the main challenges related to the health emergency will be discussed.
The Rome Summit
The Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the countries belonging to the G20 will be held in Rome from 30 to 31 October 2021 and will count on the presence of the members of the G20, some invited countries and representatives of some of the main international and regional organizations.
The event is traditionally expected to be attended by Economy Ministers.
The Summit is the culmination, at Leader level, of the intense work carried out during the year in ministerial meetings, working groups and meetings of the Engagement Groups.
