Editor's note: The 15th Group of 20 Summit will be held virtually from Nov 21 to 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. As countries are experiencing the COVID-19 crisis and an economic slowdown, the upcoming summit will set the foundations for a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable recovery from the crisis. The following is a brief overview of the summit.
Summit theme and agenda
An advertisement of G20 Riyadh Summit is seen ahead of the summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Nov 19, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]
Themed "Realizing Opportunities of the 21st Century for All", this year's summit seeks to "deepen global cooperation".
The summit will focus on three major agenda items: first, empowering people by creating the conditions in which all, especially women and youth, can live, work and thrive; second, safeguarding the planet by fostering collective efforts to protect natural resources; and third, shaping new frontiers by adopting long-term and bold strategies to share the benefits of innovation and technological advancement.
About Saudi G20 presidency
Governor of Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority Ahmed al-Kholifey (L) and Saudi Arabian Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan (C) attend the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Video Meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on July 18, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]
Saudi Arabia, the only Arab member of the group, assumed the presidency of the G20 in December 2019 for the first time.
In the run-up to the Leaders' Summit, the presidency held more than 100 meetings and conferences, including ministerial meetings, as well as meetings of officials and representatives from civil society, including the business 20, Youth 20, Labour 20, Think 20, Civil 20, Women 20, Science 20 and Urban 20.
About the G20?
[Photo/IC]
The G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation. It brings together the leaders of both developed and developing countries from every continent.
The participants are leaders from 19 countries and the European Union. The 19 countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. In addition, leaders of invited guest countries and representatives of invited guest international organizations will participate in the summit along with leaders from the G20 members.
The host country of the G20 summit leads the group over the course of one year from December through the following November as the G20 presidency. The G20 presidency also organizes relevant ministerial and working group meetings.
G20 and the world
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz speaks via video link during the Extraordinary Virtual Leaders' Summit on COVID-19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 26, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]
Collectively, G20 members represent 85 percent of global economic output and 75 percent of international trade. Throughout the year, representatives from G20 countries gather to discuss financial and socioeconomic issues.
The Saudi G20 presidency hosted the Extraordinary Virtual Leaders' Summit on COVID-19 on March 26, followed by a series of ministerial meetings to tackle the COVID-19 crisis and mitigate its impacts.
The G20 responded to the COVID-19 epidemic with unity, and achieved practical results in many fields, from coordinating policies on vaccine and macro-economy, addressing the debts of developing countries, to promoting trade and investment, digital economy and the flow of people.
