Guest blog on B20 Brasil Achieves Historic Milestone in Aligning Private Sector Proposals with the G20

A guest blog by Chris  Atkins  (Group of Nations) - Empowered 2,000+ companies as change-makers, helping them share innovative solutions to global challenges with G7, G20, B20, and COP audiences. Let's connect to drive positive change.

The final G20 declaration successfully integrates 15 out of 24 recommendations from the Business 20 (B20 Brasil) private sector engagement group. Under the theme "Social Inclusion and the Fight Against Hunger and Poverty," nine recommendations were fully embraced. Similarly, four recommendations under "Sustainable Development, Energy Transitions, and Climate Action" were fully considered. In terms of "Reform of Global Governance Institutions," two recommendations were fully aligned with the final G20 document. Seven other recommendations were partially accepted, while only two were not referenced in the final document of the world's largest economies, which convened on November 18-19 in Rio de Janeiro.

Within the agenda of Sustainable Development, Energy Transitions, and Climate Action, the G20 endorses efforts to triple global renewable energy capacity and double the global annual average rate of improvement in energy efficiency. This aligns with the business group's recommendation to accelerate the development and use of renewable and sustainable energy solutions. The declaration also reinforces zero-emission and low-carbon targets by 2030, emphasizing that measures to combat climate change should not result in arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination or disguised restrictions on international trade.

Dan Ioschpe, B20 Brasil Chair, highlighted that the outcome underscores the relevance of B20 Brasil's recommendations for inclusive and sustainable socioeconomic development, reflecting the alignment of B20 and G20 objectives during Brazil's presidency.

In digital transformation initiatives, the G20 reaffirms the importance of facilitating cross-border data flows and free data flow with trust, respecting applicable domestic and international legal frameworks, recognizing digital inclusion's role in achieving sustainable growth.

Constanza Negri Biasutti, Sherpa of B20 Brasil, noted that the B20's recommendations, including preparing skills for the future of work, promoting universal connectivity, exploring AI's transformative potential, creating innovative financing models, and strengthening the multilateral trading system, are priorities fully reflected in the G20 Leaders' Declaration.

Responsiveness of the G20 Working Groups to B20 Brasil's Proposals

The B20 monitored the alignment between its proposals and the G20, based on statements from G20 ministerial meetings before the summit. Out of 48 public policy proposals presented by B20 to G20 member countries, 16 are fully aligned with G20's propositions; 17 have substantial alignment; 10 are moderately aligned; three have marginal alignment; and only two had no alignment according to pre-summit ministerial statements.

Innovative Methodology

B20 Brasil employed an innovative methodology to assess the responsiveness of its recommendations, identifying which proposals align with G20 priorities, which need further implementation, and which require more advocacy for future agendas. Recommendations were classified into Fully Aligned, Partially Aligned, and Not Referenced categories, with alignment percentages calculated based on convergence with policy actions.

Evaluation Approach

A detailed review of individual policy actions was conducted, covering all statements from G20 working groups, task forces, and initiatives, including the Leaders' Declaration. The results suggest opportunities for action implementation or the need for a new political agenda. The full B20 Brasil 2024 Responsiveness Report is available https://b20brasil.org/documents

Other Updates

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion: Transforming workplaces (November 21, 2024)
• Digital Transformation Event: Hosted by B20 Brasil during the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro (November 19, 2024)
• Inclusive Growth for a Sustainable Future: The Role of the B20 and contributions from ABDI (November 19, 2024)