G20 china_web

Sustainable development
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The G20 has increased its
commitment to the developing world
The G20 can become a proactive force
for global sustainable development
Setting goals for
G20 development
governance
The G20's action plan for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development can help transform the developing world,
writes Thomas Fues
Critical observers have long
questioned the genuine
commitment of the G20
to the developing world,
notwithstanding the introduction
of the G20’s Development Working Group
in 2010. A significant evolution of the G20’s
identity may now be in the making.
The current Chinese presidency seems
determined to open a new chapter of the
group’s engagement for the global common
good. At the Hangzhou Summit, leaders
are expected to adopt an ambitious,
potentially transformative document: the
G20 action plan for the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development, which includes
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on
Financing for Development.
This comprehensive action plan, as
elaborated on by the Development Working
Group, identifies the policy implications
of the universal 2030 Agenda unanimously
adopted by members of the United Nations
in 2015. The G20 action plan addresses three
dimensions of sustainable development:
• domestic action by each G20 member
• collective efforts for the provision
of global public goods
• support for low-income and
developing countries
The G20 wants to contribute to global
transformation by becoming active on
all three levels. It intends to focus on
issues and policy areas where it can build
on its comparative advantage, without
It seems essential
that sherpas – the
leaders’ personal
representatives
– assume direct
responsibility for
the plan
undermining the follow-up mechanisms of
the United Nations. The document includes
a wide range of well-established concerns,
such as infrastructure, financial inclusion,
employment, trade and investment. Policy
coherence and coordination are highlighted
as profound systemic challenges.
The global common good
China’s emphasis on the 2030 Agenda
offers the G20 a historic opportunity to
reshape its narrative and to position itself
as a proactive force for global sustainable
development. If leaders become serious
about their proclaimed commitment to the
global common good, they can decisively
strengthen the transformative momentum
of the 2030 Agenda.
A key prerequisite for implementation of
the G20 action plan is to ensure coherence
across all work streams of the sherpa and
finance tracks. This involves a big effort by
leaders because the Development Working
Group, which so far has been in charge of
the G20’s response to the 2030 Agenda, does
not hold sufficient power. As is the case
in national governments, policymakers
responsible for development cooperation
rank low in the bureaucratic hierarchy.
160 G20 China: The Hangzhou Summit • September 2016 G7G20.com