G20 china_web

Strengthening the G20 system
151
commitments made by G20
71%
members from 2008 to 2014
is the average compliance
rate of G20 members
Improving G20
implementation
The G20 Research Group has analysed the compliance
rate of members since the first leaders summit in 2008.
Caroline Bracht writes about how more can be done
to meet the targets set each year
G20 annual summits are a large
undertaking for the host country.
The logistics are demanding,
extensive security is required,
each leader travels with a large
delegation and thousands of media from all
over the world are given working facilities
close to the summit so they report the latest
newsworthy updates first.
Summits not only take time, money
and supporting personnel, but also disrupt
life in the host city. Its citizens must deal
with traffic and commute delays, protests,
the possible violence resulting from them
and an increased security presence. They
understandably ask if such summits
produce enough of enduring value globally
to justify these substantial local costs.
Measuring compliance
There is an ongoing hope and occasional
expectation that at their summit the leaders
will competently address global crises or
chronic challenges. But do they? One way
to answer that question is to measure the
compliance of the members against the
collective commitments they make at
each summit.
The G20 Research Group, a global
network of scholars, students and
professionals based at the University of
Toronto, has produced annual compliance
Citizens
understandably ask
if summits produce
enough value globally
to justify substantial
local costs
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The G20 Research Group
produces G20 compliance reports
The highest compliers within
the G20 are the G7 members
Commitments should include
a single-year timetable to
increase compliance
Leaders at the G20 summit
in Antalya, Turkey, 2015
reports on the G20 since the first leaders’
meeting in 2008. These reports measure
the extent to which members implement
the priority commitments made at each
summit on a range of issues. The reports
rely on publicly available information,
and are distributed to a broad stakeholder
community for feedback to ensure
comprehensive and accurate data
collection and assessment.
The G20 Research Group has assessed 151
commitments made across all issue areas
and all members from 2008 to 2014. The
average compliance was 71 per cent. This
is lower than the overall G7/8 average of 76
per cent and slightly lower than the BRICS
average of 73 per cent. The G20 summits
with the highest average compliance were
the 2011 Cannes Summit and the 2012 Los
Cabos Summit. The highest compliers within
the G20 were the G7 members, who have
years of summit experience, commitment
crafting and implementation processes.
The G7/8, BRICS and G20 each excel in
different areas. G20 members implement
their labour and employment and
238 G20 China: The Hangzhou Summit • September 2016 G7G20.com