The leaders of the main countries of the world meet this week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the occasion of the G-20 summit: there, the main economies of the world will have a forum in which they will debate at length, bilaterally and multilaterally, about the current situation of the world and they will discuss the adoption of new global agreements: in the case of this summit, the implementation of a global tax on large fortunes.
Created in 1999, the G-20 was founded as a forum of economic, political and financial authorities from all over the world, with the aim of coordinating growth strategies, crisis management and system control in a globalized and interconnected world.
The member states of the G-20 group the 90% of world GDPhe 80% of global trade and two thirds of the world’s population. Although its influence and capacity have been called into question on numerous occasions, it is still considered a key forum for global governance and the global economy.
Which countries are part of the G-20
Member States are the main actor (although not the only one) in the G-20 summits. The international forum is made up of 19 states and one supranational organization:
- Germany
- Canada
- USA
- France
- United Kingdom
- Italy
- Japan
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- Argentina
- Australia
- Brazil
- China
- South Korea
- India
- Indonesia
- Mexico
- South Africa
- Türkiye
- European Union
The European Union, as a supranational organization, takes part in the G20 forums on behalf of all member states and as a political actor.
Furthermore, other political and economic institutions They are part of the organization’s summits as associated entities, with a voice in the forum to coordinate policies: this is the case of United Nationsthe International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the African Union or the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), among others.
Why Spain goes to the G-20 if it is not a member
Although Spain is not part of the list of members of the G-20, and beyond its representation through the European Union, it occupies the permanent guest status. Spain attended a G-20 summit for the first time in 2008, in Washington DC.
At that time, President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero lobbied to be includedsince Spain was at that time the eighth world economy according to GDP levels. The influence of the EU and France were decisive for the Spanish seat in the international forum.
Since then, he has been consolidating his role within the group, participating in ordinary and extraordinary summits, and assuming economic and political commitments equivalent to those of the Member States, so it is considered de facto another member of the forumalthough within the status of permanent guest. It is the only country with this status within the organization.
An international forum for discussion on the global agenda
The G-20, far from being an international organization like the UN, where there is an assembly and decisions are made that can be binding, functions as a forum in which different political and economic actors adopt commitments and coordinate responses. It serves as a conversation table on different matters that require coordinated responses at an international level: financial crises, climate change, conflicts between states…
The main objectives of the G-20 talks are to establish measures that favor the stability and the growth of the world economy and respond to global challenges of any nature.
#G20 #Summit #Spain #attends #member
