The G-20 Conference is set to occur on Nov. 22 and 23, and it will continue its pursuit of global economic coordination.
The conference is set to be based in the Johannesburg Expo Center in Nasrec, South Africa for the first time ever. It will also be the meeting’s 20th turn for the twenty entities involved. Many developed and undeveloped countries will meet along with two regional bodies of the European Union and the African Union as well.
The attendance of said countries is crucial as a select few, as they represent two-thirds of the world’s population, around 85% of the world economy and gross domestic product, and aid in 75% of international trade globally.
For the conference, no staff is permanent, instead presidents and secretaries are circled annually. For each host and president there lies the responsibility of organizing the conference agenda in correspondence to the current global economic status and its attendees. Furthermore, the presidency cycles throughout regional groups that are subsequently made of four countries.
The conference President also has a “troika,” or managerial trio, compiled of the previous, current, and future presidents. Therefore the current troika is made up of Brazil, South Africa, and the United States.
The G-20 conference became an incredibly important and necessary meeting after the economic crisis of 2007, where heads of state and governments upgraded their level when they tuned in for the financial predicament. It continued its regularity after a similar incident in 2009.
This year’s president of South Africa aims to address the issues that are facing the world as an entirety through the ideals of solidarity, equality and sustainability. They will address how this paradigm of challenges does not fairly affect all states equally, how national debt is prohibiting growth and “acting on shared humanity” by creating more partnerships in the international society.
“The role of the G20 in creating the foundation for global economic stability, a vital catalyst for economic development and implementing consequential global commitments such as the Pact for the Future and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030) cannot be overstated,” the website explains.
In preparation for the conference, states held a meeting for global health. The positions the U.S. took during such negotiations were against any sort of compromise over the use of terms like “universal health care,” and “equity.” Furthermore, the U.S. has reportedly been drawing “red lines” and has openly boycotted the summit overall.
When speaking against allegations of white South Africans being killed “en masse,” President Trump said that ““It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa.”
Vice President JD Vance, who was supposed to represent the United States among other diplomats, therefore will not be attending the G-20 conference.
“Their loss,” said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in a direct response. “The United States needs to think again whether boycott politics actually works, because in my experience it doesn’t work.” President Ramaphosa also added that the US is “giving up the very important role that they should be playing as the biggest economy in the world.” Many also wonder how the G-20 will fare in the hands of the US, when the presidency is meant to cycle to the nation at the end of the year.
