Epic or Epitaph?
Author
Nigel Lake & Amit Singh
Title
Epic or Epitaph? G20 Preview
Synopsis
G20 Leaders are scheduled to make their longest journeys yet to reach this year’s summit in Australia. Reinvigorated by the co-ordinated commitment to inject $1.1 trillion in funds to stabilise the global economy during the height of the financial crisis, the G20 forum has gained materially in significance as nations representing 85% of the world economy, 76% of global trade and two-thirds of the world’s population have navigated a calamitous financial vortex largely of their own making. Since then, the G20 agenda has snowballed to encompass a plethora of different topics and interest groups. With the global economic environment looking much more benign than five years ago, can Australia persuade global leaders that the wider G20 forum remains worth their time? Will the G20 Leaders meeting make the transition from a crisis management body to one that prospectively builds for the future? To do so, G20|14 must leave a globally significant legacy, characterised by meaningful action on issues that benefit not just its membership, but the global economy as a whole.