Commonwealth and La Francophonie member countries take part in “vital” dialogue with the G20 in Washington DC on 14 April.
Commonwealth and La Francophonie member countries will flag up pressing development challenges and priorities at a dialogue with the G20 in Washington DC on 14 April.
The annual outreach, convened by the Secretariats of the Commonwealth and La Francophonie, together with Turkey as G20 President, will give some of the world’s poorest, smallest and most vulnerable developing countries the opportunity to express their perspectives and make recommendations to the international community.
The event will bring together ministers and senior government officials from Commonwealth and La Francophonie countries, the Turkish G20 Presidency, and other members of the G20, as well as international and regional organisations.
Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Deodat Maharaj described the dialogue as “vital” to ensure that the voices of Commonwealth countries are clearly heard at the high-level G-20 summit in Antalya, Turkey in November 2015.
He said: “This is a very important year for development in the international community. In addition to the G20 meeting, the UN Financing for Development Conference will be held in Ethiopia in July and the world will adopt the post-2015 development framework in New York this September.
“Turkey is an important bridging country between the global ‘South’ and the world’s developed nations. Under its leadership, the G20 can yield some important outcomes for the world’s least developed countries, including small island states - which represent the majority of the Commonwealth-La Francophonie membership - most of whom will not be sitting at the G20 table.”
Collectively the Commonwealth and La Francophonie represent over 80 member governments.
The annual outreach, which began in 2011, has highlighted a range of critical issues, including debt, food security, resilient growth, financial inclusion, trade and the post-2015 framework.
This year, raising domestic revenue through taxation, remittances, debt and more inclusive participation in international trade will top the list of priorities.
The Turkish G20 Presidency welcomed the dialogue and said: “The Turkish G20 Presidency hopes to deliver a more inclusive G20 forum, where low income nations are given a stronger voice”.
