Trieste, 5 August 2021
About the G20
The G20 is the international forum that brings together the world’s major economies. Its members account for more than 80% of world GDP, 75% of global trade and 60% of the population of the planet.
The forum has met every year since 1999 and includes, since 2008, a yearly Summit, with the participation of the respective Heads of State and Government.
In addition to the Summit, ministerial and finance track deputies meetings, working groups and special events are organised throughout the year.
Participants
The G20 members are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. Spain is also invited as a permanent guest.
Each year, the Presidency invites guest countries, which take full part in the G20 exercise. Several international and regional organisations also participate, granting the forum an even broader representation.
How the G20 works
The G20 does not have a permanent secretariat: its agenda and activities are established by the rotating Presidencies, in cooperation with the membership.
A “Troika”, represented by the country that holds the Presidency, its predecessor and its successor, works to ensure continuity within the G20.
The Troika countries are currently Saudi Arabia, Italy and Indonesia.
Origins of the G20
In 1999, in the wake of the 1997 economic crisis, the G7 Finance Ministers announced the creation of the “Group of 20”, aimed at including other countries in their discussions related to global economics and finance. The first official meeting of the G20 was held in Berlin in December that same year.
Following the 2008 financial crisis, the United States proposed to increase the level of participation of the G20 to Heads of State and Government.
At the 2009 Pittsburgh Summit, the Heads of State and Government decided to institutionalise the G20 as the main forum for global economic and financial cooperation.
The G20 Leaders have met every year since 2010.
G20 Digital Ministers’ Meeting
On 5 August 2021, Digital Ministers will meet in Trieste to advance the dialogue on Digital Transformation of the economy and society as a lever for resilient, sustainable and inclusive recovery.
Building on the achievements and commitments of past Presidencies and acknowledging the impact of the pandemic on the economy, employment and the wellbeing of our societies, the Italian Presidency placed digitalisation at the heart of the G20 discussions. The priorities are addressed under the umbrella of Digital Economy, with a particular focus on Digital Government. Opportunities, challenges and risks are dealt with, to further harness the potential of digitalisation for a resilient, sustainable and inclusive recovery, to keep pace with the profound transformation that digitalisation has generated in the economy and society, and to bridge inequalities.
The collaborative process among G20 Ministers was brought forward in the Digital Economy Task Force (DETF) meetings.
DIGITAL ECONOMY
The digital transformation in production for sustainable growth, the focus on the inclusion of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and the gaps, especially between MSMEs and large firms and between countries, are at the heart of the G20 discussion. There is a need for companies to access and develop technologies, to be prepared for the "new normal" and to keep pace with further technological shifts, in order to cope with future challenges and opportunities. Similarly, governments need to develop a human-centred approach. Investments in ICT and human capital, training and R&D are essential, as well as the support to new business models and innovation ecosystems. The digitalisation of businesses also contributes to the sustainability and security of the digital economy, if accompanied by actions in favour of companies, especially SMEs. The aim is to strengthen policies and actions to accelerate the digital transformation of production processes, thus promoting a resilient, inclusive and sustainable economic recovery. To advance the dialogue, the Italian Presidency welcomed G20 representatives and stakeholders from many countries to a High-level Multistakeholder Forum entitled "Digital transformation in production for sustainable growth".
Thanks to "G20 Policy Examples on how to enhance the adoption of AI by MSMEs and start-ups", the Italian Presidency worked on the implementation of trustworthy and human-centred G20 Principles on Artificial Intelligence, agreed in 2019 in Japan, with a focus on SMEs.
Artificial intelligence and the digital gender divide are addressed, as well, in relation to the measurement of the digital economy, to move forward with the G20 Roadmap approved under the 2020 Saudi Presidency.
Given the steep increase in online transactions and e-commerce during the pandemic, the Italian Presidency addressed the issue of consumers’ awareness and education in the digital environment, promoting stronger international cooperation in this field. Moreover, for the first time, distributed ledger technologies (such as blockchain) for the traceability of consumer goods in global value chains were presented, from an original and innovative perspective. On these topics, the Presidency organized the Multi-stakeholder Forum on “Consumers’ awareness, protection, and blockchain for traceability in the digital economy”.
For the first time ever, Children Protection and Empowerment in the Digital Environment is among the G20 Digital Economy priorities. The purpose is to promote a safe, secure, inclusive, transparent and beneficial digital environment for children, age-appropriate and high-quality content online, together with the awareness and empowerment of children and their parents, guardians, carers and educators. This commitment is guided by the “G20 High Level Principles on Children Protection and Empowerment in the Digital Environment', which are drawn from the OECD Recommendation on the subject.
The discussion on Smart Cities continues, with a focus on how innovative public procurement can help foster and stimulate innovation. The G20 practices of Innovative Public Procurement for Smart Cities and Communities, collected by the Italian Presidency, will contribute to the dialogue and cooperation.
Recognizing the unprecedented acceleration of the importance of digital technologies in the social and economic life, the Digital Ministers are called to reaffirm their commitment to bridge connectivity gaps and to encourage the goal of promoting universal and affordable access to connectivity for all by 2025.
The dialogue on Data Free Flow with Trust and Cross-border Data Flows continues and the knowledge on different governments’ approaches was deepened, thanks to the OECD work on mapping commonalities in regulatory frameworks.
DIGITAL GOVERNMENT
Digital identity enables full participation of citizens in society by guaranteeing reliable transactions and access to public services. Given the different approaches adopted by member countries, the Presidency has launched a collection of Digital Identity practices, which will define the overall policy context for digital identity among G20 members, drawing on countries' practices to create favourable conditions for digital identity.
In addition to economic transformation, governments need to keep pace with technological transformation. The survey on governance and regulatory approaches across G20 members conducted by the Italian Presidency aims to map agile regulation with a focus on regulatory sandboxes.
Existing and new technologies have the potential to transform the way G20 governments design policies and deliver public services. In particular, artificial intelligence is crucial in helping governments navigate through the overwhelming amount of data and in facilitating the creation of proactive and personalized public services that anticipate citizens' needs. For this reason, the Presidency proposed to build on the G20 Digital Governance Principles adopted during the Argentine Presidency on (2018) and the G20 Principles on Artificial Intelligence agreed during the Japanese Presidency (2019) to develop a G20 Compendium on the use of digital tools for public service continuity.
Agenda
Trieste, 5 August 2021
9.30 - 11.00
- Introduction by the Italian G20 Presidency - Minister of Economic Development Giancarlo Giorgetti
- Session I – Digital Transformation for the recovery of the economy Ministerial Meeting with Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti and Undersecretary Anna Ascani
Break
11.15 - 12.00
- Session II – Society in the Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting with Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti and Undersecretary Anna Ascani
- Session III - Enabling Digital Transformation Ministerial Meeting with Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti, Minister Vittorio Colao and Undersecretary Anna Ascani
12.00 - 12.15
- Press Point by the Italian G20 Presidency - Minister of Economic Development Giancarlo Giorgetti.
Trieste
Unique in its kind and endowed with a fascinating atmosphere typical of Mitteleurope, the multicultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious city of Trieste is a fertile ground for the flourishing of culture and innovation.
Its commercial port is the leader for freight traffic in Italy and a strategic trade hub for the country, in the European context.
Trieste is a gateway to Central and Eastern Europe, rediscovered and appreciated by the ever-increasing number of tourists from around the globe. From this area you can visit four countries and, in just ninety minutes, make excursions to Venice, Slovenia, Croatia and Austria.
The requalification of the Porto Vecchio, an area of 65 hectares which had been inaccessible for decades, has transformed the warehouses for goods into warehouses for ideas and projects, aimed to support and enrich the social, cultural, economic and commercial growth of the city.
In recent years, Trieste has been building its future and broadening its horizons to become a reference point for a Europe that is increasingly open to the East.