Canada and the G20

The Group of Twenty (G20) is a critical forum for the world's major economies to build mutual understanding and foster collaboration in the face of global challenges.

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Overview

The G20 is the primary forum for international economic cooperation among the world’s leading developed and emerging economies. It was formed in 1999 amidst the Asian financial crisis to coordinate macroeconomic policy and financial responses among members. In 2008, the G20 Summit was elevated to the leaders’ level in response to the 2008 financial crisis. Since then, G20 leaders have met yearly to discuss pressing global issues, with dedicated ministerial workstreams to address finance, trade, sustainable development, health, agriculture, energy, and climate change issues, among others.

Membership

The G20 comprises nineteen countries and two regional unions. The African Union became the G20’s 21st member in 2023. The G20 represents all inhabited continents, over 85% of world GDP, over 75% of global trade, and more than 66% of the world's population. The 21 members are:

• African Union
• Argentina
• Australia
• Brazil
• Canada
• China
• European Union
• Germany
• France
• India
• Indonesia
• Italy
• Japan
• Mexico
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• South Africa
• South Korea
• Türkiye
• United Kingdom
• United States of America

The G20 presidency rotates annually among members. Brazil is hosting the G20 in 2024, followed by South Africa in 2025, and the United States in 2026.

Canada last hosted the G20 in 2010, in Toronto.

Our participation

The G20 is an important platform for Canada to influence global economic issues. Canada’s participation provides an opportunity to build consensus with members on matters related to economic stability and growth in Canada and globally. This includes promoting sustainable growth through support for the international financial architecture and open, rules-based trade and investment.

At the G20, Canada continues to:

• Hold Russia to account for its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and address the far-reaching impacts on the G20’s global economic stability agenda, including food and energy security.
• Promote global economic and financial stability.
• Champion the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on increasing access to development finance, Multilateral Development Bank (MDB) modernization, and debt sustainability.
• Push for increased ambition around climate mitigation, biodiversity and pollution and the clean energy transition.
• Advance gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Work process

The G20 has no charter or permanent secretariat. The presidency of the G20 rotates every year among its members. The presidency is responsible for setting the group’s agenda, preparing leaders’ summits, and organizing a series of ministerial and other preparatory meetings that advance G20 work throughout the year. Ministerial meetings, working groups, and other experts’ groups are added or removed by the presidency based on the host’s priorities.

G20 work is supported by the participation of guest countries and international organizations that are invited at the host’s discretion, as well as engagement groups comprising different sectors of civil society, academia, and industry.

Much of the preparation for the summit is completed by G20 leaders’ personal representatives, known as sherpas. Sherpas work closely with finance ministers’ deputies to steer the G20 agenda, with input from ministerial workstreams over the course of the year. Since 2020, Canada’s Personal Representative to the Prime Minister for the G20 Summit (sherpa) has been Christopher MacLennan.

The work of the G20 culminates each cycle in a summit and leaders’ declaration, expressing members’ commitments and vision for the future.

Engagement groups

G20 members have made a commitment to consult relevant stakeholder communities. G20 thematic engagement groups, comprising participants from among G20 members, provide a vehicle for such dialogue. These groups meet throughout the year and often draft recommendations for G20 members. While these recommendations are non-binding, G20 members take them into account in the policy-making process.

There are currently thirteen formal engagement groups. Each engagement group is chaired by organizations or individuals from the G20 host country:

• Business 20 (B20)
• Civil 20 (C20)
• Labour 20 (L20)
• Oceans 20 (O20)
• Parliament 20 (P20)
• Science 20 (S20)
• Supreme Audit Institutions 20 (SAI 20)
• Supreme Courts and Constitutional Courts 20 (J20)
• Startup 20
• Think 20 (T20)
• Urban 20 (U20)
• Women 20 (W20)
• Youth 20 (Y20)

Declarations and statements

Latest declarations, statements and announcements endorsed by the Prime Minister or Global Affairs Canada Ministers are included below.