Following on its response to the global economic crisis, the G20 must now tackle other pressing global issues, including climate change, food security and global health. Andrew F. Cooper, CIGI distinguished fellow, and Andrew Schrumm, a CIGI research officer, discuss how the G20 must move beyond being a crisis committee to be a forward-looking organization and one that supports public goods.

From many perspectives, the London Summit of the G20 leaders at the beginning of April 2009 was a success – with discussion framed around crisis resolution and the strengthening of the international financial architecture. Beyond its concrete achievements, the Summit morphed into an ongoing process with a rolling agenda, rather than remaining a one-off event. While the Italian Presidency of the G8 has a hard task ahead, there is scope for building a meaningful bridge between London and the G8 meeting in L’Aquila in July 2009, continuing and strengthening the economic governance reform process.

This web exclusive policy brief suggests that these commitments did not in fact go much beyond pre-existing international initiatives that had recently been developed in more technocratic international bodies.