What is the G20?

It’s happening in Brisbane from 14-16 November but what really is the G20 and why all the fuss?

Generally, G20 stands for the Group of Twenty nations whose members account for 85% of the world economy, 80% of global trade, and 2-thirds of the world’s population.

The G20 represents all geographic regions of the world and describes itself as “the premier forum for international cooperation on the most critical issues of the worldwide financial and economic agenda”.

The sixth annual G20 summit in Brisbane will be the most substantial meeting of world leaders Australia has ever hosted. Up to 7,000 international delegates and media workers are expected for the occasion. In the end it will bring together leaders, finance ministers and central bank governors from 19 countries in a series of meetings.

Which nations?

The nations are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, plus the European Union, which is represented by the President of the European Council and by the Head of the European Central Bank.

Here’s a map of members.

The host gets 5 added invitations, but Spain is always one of these as a “permanent guest”.  Other guests this year are New Zeland, Myanmar, Senegal and Mauritania. The heads of the International Monetary Fund, the OECD and World Bank also come, and some UN chiefs.

So who’s coming?

Some of the political A-listers include (in no particular order):

• British Prime Minister, David Cameron


• US President, Barack Obama


• Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper


• Russian President, Vladimir Putin


• Russian Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev


• China’s President, Xi Jinping


• China’s Premier, Li Kegiang


• Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi


• Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah


• Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel


• French Prime Minister, Francois Hollande


• French Prime Minister, Manuel Vallis


• Italy’s Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi


• Mexican President, Enrique Pena Nieto


• South Africa’s President, Jacob Zuma


• Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe


• Indonesia’s President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyona


• Australia’s Prime Minister, Tony Abbott

What do they do?

The G20 discuss a quantity of international financial and monetary problems, like anti-corruption and monetary regulation, trade and employment, power, tax systems, development approaches and infrastructure, among other folks. It is not all about talking even though – nations are also anticipated to provide on their plans. Click right here for a lot more details.

What is the G20?