Preparations for this year’s Group of 20 Summit, which takes place September 5-6 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, are well underway, with last year’s Mexican hosts essentially handing off to Russia in December. USCIB is working with all three of our affiliated global business bodies to advance a positive private-sector agenda at the summit, which will again feature a high-level business component known as the B20.
The International Chamber of Commerce is a leading member of the B20 organizing group, which is working with Alexander Shokhin, president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, to facilitate business input to the summit. ICC plans to hold a number of preparatory events through its 30-member G20 Advisory Group – whose members include USCIB Chairman Terry McGraw
of McGraw-Hill and USCIB Trustee Andrew Liveris of Dow – and has published an informative update on its G20 activities.
Focus on apprenticeships
Both the International Organization of Employers and the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD are also taking part in preparations for the B20, with a special remit to engage with governments on labor and employment policy. As part of this, the two organizations have forged a joint initiative on apprenticeships as a follow-up to the Mexico B20 business commitments on employment. In December, they released an initial overview of national initiatives to promote apprenticeships and internships.
Building on their findings, IOE and BIAC plan to create a global company network for apprenticeships, with the aim of facilitating exchange of information and joint action, increasing the visibility of companies’ engagement in vocational education and training, and fostering dialogue with policy makers and other actors at the national and international level.
IOE and BIAC will again spearhead business representation to the G20 Labor Ministerial, which takes place July 18 in Moscow.
In addition, USCIB members met in Washington on January 31 with Fabrizio Pagani, head of the OECD’s “Sherpa” office for G20 and G8 affairs, to discuss OECD contributions to the G20 Summit and related matters. OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria participates in the G20 Summit along with the heads of several other international agencies.
