Voicing his support for multilateralism and international cooperation, Argentine President Mauricio Macri opened the plenary session of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Buenos Aires.
“This Summit is an unprecedented event for our country. It is the first time in our country’s history that so many world leaders have set foot in Argentina at the same time. It highlights the support given to the Argentine presidency and the role the country is playing on the global stage after so many years of isolation,” President Macri said after welcoming world leaders and thanking them for visiting Buenos Aires.
Macri also mentioned the 10th anniversary of the first G20 Summit: “In the last few years, current multilateral mechanisms, including the G20, have come under fire because of social, political and economic shifts within each country and across the globe. Tensions about how to address global opportunities and challenges have surfaced.”
“Even though the agenda that brings us together today is different, I’d like to ask you to act with the same sense of urgency that brought us together in 2008. In a diverse world, with so many different protagonists with their own background and culture, the spirit of the G20 is to promote a dialogue that is respectful of differences and to foster actions based on common interests,” Macri said.
With respect to today and tomorrow’s discussions, Macri said: “This is a time when we as world leaders have an opportunity to come together to address challenges head on and work through our differences for the common good. This has been the case for the last 10 years, and I do hope that within today and tomorrow’s discussions, we can build consensus for the next decade. We have an enormous task ahead.”
“Under the slogan of building consensus for fair and sustainable development, we will address issues such as the future of work, infrastructure for development, financial stability, climate sustainability and international trade, among others. We will address a people-centred agenda with a vision of the future,” he added.
Macri said that he is “optimistic by nature” and praised the support for the working agenda provided by G20 member and guest countries, as well as by partner organizations. He then added: “But there is no doubt that consensus cannot be reached overnight. With its ups and downs, this process continues beyond the G20 Summit and is improved when our commitments lead to concrete actions that improve people’s lives.”
“We accepted the challenge of presiding over the G20 because we firmly believe that we can make a contribution to international cooperation, multilateralism and global governance,” he said.
“At the southernmost G20 Summit in history, I invite you to send a clear message to the world and to show them that we are capable of building a common development strategy by assuming shared responsibilities and making a commitment to gender equality and unity in diversity,” he concluded.
About the G20
The G20 started out in 1999 as a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors. In 2008, amidst the global financial crisis, it evolved into what it is today: a major forum for dialogue and decision-making attended by world leaders from vital economies. Together, the G20 members represent 85% of global GDP, two-thirds of the world’s population, and 75% of international trade.
