Boosting the participation of small and less-developed countries in trade and industrial development and raising revenue through improved domestic tax policies will be the focus of a special dialogue in New York between the Group of 20 (G20) and Commonwealth and La Francophonie developing countries.
Boosting the participation of small and less-developed countries in trade and industrial development and raising revenue through improved domestic tax policies will be the focus of a special dialogue in New York between the Group of 20 (G20) and Commonwealth and La Francophonie developing countries. The G20 is an international forum for the leaders of the 20 most developed economies of the world.
The annual dialogue will take place on 20 April. It is driven by the Secretariats of the Commonwealth and La Francophonie, in collaboration with China as G20 president, and will give developing countries the opportunity to present their perspective on key issues and identify their development priorities to the G20 Development Working Group (DWG) - which was set up to address global development challenges. The aim, the Commonwealth says, is to influence and inform decisions made at the annual G20 summit.
“Ultimately this is about placing the priorities of Commonwealth and Francophone countries firmly on the G20 agenda,” said Reginald Darius, Head of the Commonwealth Economic Policy Division. “These priorities include strengthening domestic revenue policies, empowering developing countries to raise their own finance for development and ensuring they can participate and benefit from more inclusive trade and industrial development.”
Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Deodat Maharaj described the dialogue as “a promising forum for a large majority of the world’s poorest, smallest and most vulnerable countries, to help to inform the G20’s development and broader agenda”.
He said: “As the primary authority on global financial and economic governance, the G20’s actions have a significant impact on the growth and development trajectories of all countries, whether they are in the developed or the developing world. It is therefore vital that the voices of developing countries are heard when decisions that will affect them are made. We have worked closely with the G20, through the DWG, to build an effective platform for this kind of outreach.”
He added: “This year, China has invited the Commonwealth to contribute to an accountability report, which could influence how the G20 operates and engages with developing countries in the future. As well as affirming the significance of the Commonwealth and Francophonie interaction with the G20, this work also highlights the importance of building on the successes of the past, so that the engagement is as effective as possible in ensuring developing country voices are heard across the G20 agenda. This dialogue will continue to be a priority given the importance that we in the Commonwealth attach to providing a platform and voice for small, poor and vulnerable countries”.
