On November 22, an atypical G20 Summit ended, held virtually with the presidency of Saudi Arabia. Once again, it brought together the leaders of the main economic powers in the world and the European Union, as well as 14 international organizations. The summit ended without major progress beyond the commitment to fund vaccination against COVID19 of impoverished countries1.
Despite the importance acquired in recent years by the G20 as a deliberative space in international politics and economics2, this year the agreements reached are rather poor or null, beyond good words. In the final statement, the group assured that it will provide funds to finance impoverished countries to guarantee access to vaccines against COVID-19. This measure was criticized by the general secretariat of the Ibero-American Summit for leaving out Latin America and the Caribbean3, however, it turned out to be the only notable measure to help the poorest nations, despite the fact that this issue was central to the summit’s agenda.
The final document4 is reiterative in measures already adopted this year, among them the suspension of the debt to impoverished countries until June 2021, ignoring the UN request to extend it until the end of next year5. Nor was there any talk about the eventual agreement with the IMF for the issuance of the DEF, a nominal currency of the Fund, which could help some countries to face the crisis caused by the pandemic by creating new liquidity. Regarding the Paris Agreement, there were no changes. All subscribe to it except the US, which is still out of it6.
Ultimately, the 15th G20 Summit has been little more than a showcase for Saudi Arabia to wash its international image and attract investors to diversify its economy7. The Saud house is still haunted by the murder of journalist Jamal Kashoggi8, and its strategy of presenting itself as a reformist country in terms of women’s rights has been denounced by Amnesty International9. Despite this, there is room for optimism: the next edition of the summit will be chaired by Italy, where there is a strong response to this type of event. This will make it possible to pressure the great economic powers to reach agreements that benefit the planet and respect Human Rights.
1 https://www.g20riyadhsummit.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/G20-Riyadh-Summit-Leaders-Declaration_EN.pdf 2 https://g20.org/en/about/Pages/Participants.aspx 3 https://www.eldiario.es/economia/secretaria-general-iberoamericana-considera-decepcionante-declaracion-lideres-g20_1_6454173.html 4 https://www.g20riyadhsummit.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/G20-Riyadh-Summit-Leaders-Declaration_EN.pdf 5 https://www.efe.com/efe/espana/economia/el-g20-suspende-la-deuda-de-los-paises-pobres-y-fmi-pide-esfuerzos-adicionales/10003-4222165 6 https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVII-7-d&chapter=27&clang=_en 7 https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/un-g20-a-distancia-y-sin-brillo--lejos-de-lo-que-esperaba-arabia-saudita/46176778 8 https://www.dw.com/es/jamal-khashoggi-conspiraci%C3%B3n-de-asesinato-en-el-consulado-saudita/av-55101003 9 https://www.publico.es/internacional/mujeres-arabia-saudi-amnistia-internacional-g20-no-dejen-enganar.html
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