Saudi Arabia assumed the G20 Presidency on Sunday, taking the reins from Japan and bringing the forum to the Middle East for the first time since the summit started in 2008.
To mark the occasion, the Kingdom rolled out a new logo for the presidency as it looks towards the Leaders’ Summit in Riyadh on November 21-22 next year.
“The Saudi G20 Presidency is committed to continuing the work from Osaka and promoting multilateral consensus. Working with our G20 partners, we will strive to deliver concrete actions and realise opportunities to enable us to face the challenges of the future”, said Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, commending the work of the 2019 Japanese presidency.
١ ديسمبر ٢٠١٩.. انطلاق رئاسة المملكة لمجموعة العشرين. #فرصتنا_لنلهم_العالم_برؤيتنا#واس pic.twitter.com/C4NiKqAASA
— واس الأخبار الملكية (@spagov) November 30, 2019
The forum, which gathers finance ministers, central bank governors and policymakers to discuss global economic issues, emerged out of the G7 and G8 after the 2008 global financial crisis and held its inaugural summit in Washington DC that year. Attendees include the world's 19 largest economies and the European Union, which represents more than 80 per cent of the global economy.
Under the theme of “Realising opportunities of the 21st Century for all”, next year's G20 will focus on three aims, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency. These include empowering people — especially women and young people — by creating conditions in which they can live, work and thrive; safeguarding the planet by fostering collective efforts on food and water security, climate, energy and environment; and shaping new frontiers by adopting long-term, bold strategies to share the benefits of innovation and technological advancement.
Saudi Arabia said it is committed to ensuring the G20 continues to reflect a broad and inclusive range of international perspectives, according to SPA. The kingdom has already extended invitations to Jordan, Singapore, Spain and Switzerland for the event.
Regional organisations that have also been invited, include the Arab Monetary Fund, the Islamic Development Bank, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the African Union, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the New Partnership for Africa's Development.
