Building consensus for fair and sustainable development
Argentina is proud to be the first South American country to host the G20 summit. This role comes with a responsibility that we do not take lightly. We are honoured to lead this global forum and we seek to embody the expression not only of the people of Argentina, but also of our neighbours in the region and the developing world. At the summit in Buenos Aires, we hope to be a voice for future generations around the world eager to be part of the global dialogue. Our goal is to build consensus and drive action on fair and sustainable development, with an agenda focused on the future of work, infrastructure for development and a sustainable food future.
Throughout our presidency, Argentina has sought to be an honest broker, initiating balanced discussions with input from member countries, civil society, key international organisations and guest countries. We are aware that it is no easy task running the G20. Consensus is not always assured, but that is what the G20 is for – to bring together the views of a diverse set of players to find common ground and commit to action for a shared and prosperous future. In years past, this global forum has proven its value by fostering constructive dialogue and fortifying the global economy in times of need.
When we meet in Buenos Aires, 10 years will have passed since the first summit, which challenges us to reflect on the impact of the G20 so far. In recent years, the group has averted economic crises and experienced rapid globalisation and technological advancement across economies and societies. And yet, the prospects for fair development in numerous communities around the world continues to be weakened by exclusion, inequality and a growing distrust of globalisation.
The Buenos Aires Summit gives us a chance to sustain and improve the effectiveness of the G20 in our evolving world. As evidenced in the meetings, dialogues and events facilitated by the Argentine presidency in the past year, and in the joint declarations and commitments by G20 ministers, we are building on common ground that exists in the G20 to cultivate fair, equal and inclusive growth for the next 10 years and beyond.
Ensuring women’s empowerment
Argentina will seek to build on the legacy of past presidencies, chief among them the empowerment of women and girls across the globe. We know that the only way to achieve truly fair and sustainable development is to ensure that women and men benefit equally from the actions and commitments taken at this and future summits. As part of a gender mainstreaming strategy across the whole G20 agenda, our presidency is taking active steps to boost women’s empowerment, eliminate gender disparities in employment, science, technology and education, and promote robust protection from all forms of gender-based violence.
Laying a foundation for inclusive growth will require us to look at the challenges posed by the future of work. While technology has been able to unleash potential among workforces, we must ensure that its continued adoption and evolution will not engender exclusion or social disintegration, but rather create more and better employment opportunities going forward. Today we have to prepare our children for jobs that do not even exist yet, and all of us need to continue developing skills throughout our lives. Education systems in every country need to expand, to innovate, to be ready for change. To drive such outcomes, we have placed education and skills for life and work at the forefront of our agenda, as prerequisites for fair and sustainable development.
Closing the infrastructure gap together
Infrastructure is one of the most important steps for development: it provides the physical and digital access necessary for us to seize the opportunities of the future global economy. While there is a pressing need for infrastructure in many countries, not just in the developing world, institutional investors today have unprecedented pools of savings in search of yield. Developing the financial instruments that can catalyse investment in infrastructure at scale has huge potential to help close the growing global infrastructure gap; this is why we have made important steps over the course of our presidency towards developing infrastructure into an asset class that is attractive to investors.
fostering a sustainable food future
Enhancing a sustainable food future allows us to address growing food security challenges, which are under increased stress as we head towards a global population of nine billion by 2050. Harnessing our experience as a global agricultural leader, we are encouraging commitments to sustainable soil management through strengthened public-private collaboration among industries, governments, international agencies, farmers’ associations and civil society. In doing so, we will increase crop productivity, food security and sustainability while improving health and nutrition globally.
We are confident in our ability to build consensus and drive action for future generations. As a multicultural, developing country, Argentina is uniquely positioned to serve as a bridge between the developed and developing world. We are working hard to solidify the foundations upon which a reliable and productive country is built, through macroeconomic stability, a clear set of rules for investment and trade, the most ambitious infrastructure and energy plans in our history, important initiatives in education and social policies, and institutional reforms that allow us to strengthen our democratic culture in a transparent, open fashion.
We strongly believe that a promising future lies in growing integration and partnership across the globe.
¡Bienvenidos a la Argentina!
