Heine: G20 Summit Proved Naysayers Wrong
On September 21, 2023, Amb. Jorge Heine, Research Professor at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and Interim Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, authored an article for The Conversation reflecting on the 2023 G20 summit held in New Delhi, India.
Heine notes that the summit was met with skepticism ahead of time, with many doubting whether the leaders of the world’s 19 largest economies would be able to come to an agreement on pressing issues such as the war in Ukraine and climate change. Despite the skepticism, Heine argues that the summit was a success, with the leaders releasing a joint declaration on a range of issues, including giving a new impetus to the World Bank, fighting climate change, and dealing with infectious diseases. One of the main outcomes of the summit was the admission of the African Union as a full member of the G20.
Heine writes that the G20 summit was a “coming of age” for the Global South, with rising powers such as India and Indonesia setting the agenda and stressing the priorities of developing nations. This contrasts with the Group of Seven, or G7, which has in recent years focused on geopolitics and the war in Ukraine.
“The G20 has its faults, but it still performs a useful function to help the world economy navigate perilous waters, as globalization beats a retreat and the dangers of a fractured international system loom larger. I believe the G20 should be further built up and nurtured, not cavalierly dismissed,” Heine writes.
Heine’s conclusion is particularly important considering the current state of the world. With globalization on the decline and the international system increasingly divided, the G20 is more important than ever as a forum for the world’s leading economies to come together and work on common challenges.
If you are interested in learning more about Professor Heine’s views and the broader discussion on the G20, please read the full article featured in The Conversation.
Ambassador Jorge Heine is a Research Professor at the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. He has served as ambassador of Chile to China (2014-2017), to India (2003-2007), and to South Africa (1994-1999), and as a Cabinet Minister in the Chilean Government. Read more about Ambassador Heine on his Pardee School faculty profile.