The year 2025 marks a special moment for the G20. For the first time since upgrading the forum at the level of Heads of State and Government in 2008, each of the 19 member states has held the presidency once and hosted a summit. Just in time for this anniversary, the incumbent South African presidency has declared an evaluation of the G20 and its functioning and effectiveness to be a key priority. This affords an opportunity to reflect on the role of the G20: where does its added value lie, what its limits are, and how can it remain effective in today’s geopolitical environment?
The G20 made its greatest contribution as of 2008 when combating the global financial crisis. Measures were adopted quickly and in a coordinated way, which greatly contributed to stabilisation. Contrary to widespread scepticism, this bore witness to international organisations’ ability to act.
As of the 2010s, topics became far more diverse. Today, there is scarcely a global policy area that is not addressed by the G20. Owing to the declining degree of policy alignment among the members, resolutions often remain vague and ineffective, however. This lack of effectiveness undermines the legitimacy of the forum.
Despite these challenges, the G20 continues to be an indispensable format for global governance. The G20 is particularly valuable as a “reserve mechanism” for global crises and as a forum for dialogue, in which coordination is facilitated at the highest political level without cumbersome bureaucracy.
If the G20 is to secure its legitimacy, it must regain its effectiveness. This can only succeed if it focuses on its core mandate, develops the troika into a multi-year planning body, strengthens the OECD as a quasi-secretariat at institutional level and gears its working methods more strongly towards realisable outcomes. Germany should work towards this together with its partners.
Read the entire text: “Globale Ordnungspolitik in der Krise – Spielt die G20 noch eine Rolle in Zeiten geopolitischer Fragmentierung?” from our Facts and Findings series here as a PDF. Please note, to date the analysis is only available in German.
