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UN Member States call for G20 to be made more inclusive

UN Member States call for G20 to be made more inclusive

Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago
The Group of 20, which brings together the world’s major industrialized and developed nations, should be reformed to make it more inclusive of the needs of all the world’s peoples, officials from several countries told the General Assembly today.

Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, appealed for “the establishment of predictable and regular channels to facilitate dialogue between the G20 nations and Members of the United Nations, which constitute the G192.”

While she recognized the membership rules applying to groups such as the G20, “a mechanism must be established to insert the voice of the United Nations in the activities of these groupings such that their concerns and needs are actively considered.”

The Prime Minister said she hoped these issues will be discussed at the next G20 summit, which is scheduled to take place in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in November.

Speaking about global governance in general, she stressed that it was vital to hold leaders and institutions more accountable and to ensure that “no nation large or small” is exempted from key decision-making processes.

“Global governance cannot be limited to the crafting of instruments related to the promotion of democracy. A key component must be the creation of fair and equitable rules to enhance the development prospects of developing countries.”

Antonella Fularoni, Foreign Minister of San Marino, echoed those remarks in her address to the Assembly’s high-level debate.

“The decision-making process of the G20 should be even more inclusive and transparent so that its decisions can be translated into effective action at a world level,” Ms. Fularoni said.

“This requires the development of specific mechanisms, through which the interests, worries and aspirations of the countries outside the G20 can be taken into account, with particular reference to developing countries, in order to favour a G20 complementary to that of the United Nations.”

The Foreign Minister noted that while the G20 played a valuable role last year in preventing a global economic depression, it was important to continue to coordinate policies “with a view to guaranteeing a balanced, inclusive and sustainable growth.”