"The Big Twenty": the history and goals of the organization. Which countries are included in the G20?

Many people have heard of this international organization. When did the G-20 come about? What are the goals and principles of this forum? Which countries are included in the G20? All this in our article.

History of organization

Before answering the question, which countries are included in the G20, you should briefly talk about the history of this organization. And also about when it was established.

The G20, the G20 or simply the G20 is a global international forum that brings together the world's leading economies. In the countries that are part of this organization, about 85% of all world trade is concentrated.

The year of creation of the G20 is 1999. The corresponding decision to create such a forum was taken at a meeting of finance ministers of the G-7 in Washington. The first installation conference of the organization was held in December of the same year in Berlin.

The impetus for the establishment of the G20 was the so-called East Asian economic crisis of 1998, the consequences of which affected almost the entire planet. "Strongmen of this world" realized the need for such a global organization that could predict and prevent such crises in the world economy.

It is curious that initially there was an organization called G33, which united, respectively, 33 states. However, less than a year has passed since it was transformed into the G20. What countries are included in it? Read about this in the next section.

Countries G20: List of Members

Interestingly, the candidates for the "Group of Twenty" were selected by ministers of only two states - the US and Canada. Which countries are in the G20 today?

The international forum includes 19 leading world economies, as well as the European Union as a collective organization. In addition, representatives of other international organizations - the IMF, the World Bank, the European Central Bank - are often present at G20 meetings and summits.

Listed below are all G20 countries (list as of 2015):

1. Australia.
2. Argentina.
3. Brazil.
4. Canada.
5. Mexico.
6. USA.
7. South Africa.
8. Japan.
9. South Korea.
10. Russia.
11. India.
12. Indonesia.
13. China.
14. Saudi Arabia.
15. Turkey.
16. United Kingdom.
17. Italy.
18. Germany.
19. France.

All the countries participating in this international forum are shown in yellow on the map below (the states that are part of the "Big Seven" are more saturated with a shade).

G20: objectives and features of work

The organization was created with a single main goal: to achieve stable and sustainable growth of the world economy for the benefit of all, without exception, countries on the planet.

The main form of activity is meetings and summits, which the G20 participating countries attend annually. Every year one state is elected for the role of head of the organization. In it, and the next summit is held. The G20 Interim Secretariat is also located in the territory of this country.

Do not assume that the activities of the G20 are limited only to summits that take place once a year. They only outline the plan of actions and activities, work on which continues in various working groups and units of ministries. Among the key tasks of the organization are to find ways to stabilize the economy, develop the international financial architecture, develop social infrastructure, ensure food security, solve corruption problems and even finance and promote various environmental and climate programs.

At the same time, the structure of the G20 quite often lends itself to severe criticism. First, for the fact that it does not include 173 states of the planet. Secondly, for lack of transparency in the work of the entire organization.

Annual summits of the "Big Twenty"

Annual G-20 summits with the participation of the presidents and prime ministers of the states began in 2008. The first of them took place in Washington and was called anti-crisis. The main issue for discussion on the agenda of the summit was the global financial crisis of 2007-2008.

In 2009 and 2010, the G-20 summit was held twice. Experts note that the Seoul summit, which took place in November 2010, was of great importance. On it, in particular, the topic of monetary policy of the US and China was considered. The Australian summit in Brisbane, 2014, also aroused tremendous resonance in world society. It raised three pressing problems: the fight against corruption, the Ukrainian crisis and the problem of world security in general.

Russia and G-20

In 2014, Russia was expelled from the structure, or rather, its membership in the G8 group was suspended. Thus, the G8 again returned to the G7 format. Soon after, there was information that Russia was going to be deprived of the right to participate in the G20 forum.

The most critical of the Russian Federation today is Australia. The government of the island state accuses Russia of being involved in the collapse of the MN-17 Boeing in the sky over the Donbas. However, at the Australian summit in Brisbane, the Russian delegation was invited. In the G20, such a decision was made in the hope that this would help "alleviate overall geopolitical tensions" in the world.

Finally...

Now you know which countries are in the G20. The international organization was formed in 1999. Initially she organized and held meetings and consultations of finance ministers of different countries. Later in the G20, the heads of countries were involved, and the organization began to address more global problems.

The current composition of the G20 countries includes 19 independent states from different continents, as well as one collective organization - the European Union (EU).