Shaping multilateral development policy and positioning German development policy concerns in the G7 and G20

Project description

Title: Supporting Multilateral Development Policy and G7/G20 Development Agendas 
Commissioned by: Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: global
Overall term: 2020 to 2023

Context

In an increasingly networked world, it is becoming less and less possible to achieve development policy objectives through national action alone. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is therefore helping to shape sustainable global development in cooperation with numerous international partners as part of its multilateral development policy. To this end, it is working together with governmental and non-governmental actors in and through international organisations, forums and networks. 

Against this backdrop, the Group of Seven (G7, industrialised nations) and the Group of Twenty (G20, industrialised nations and emerging economies), as forums for the leading industrialised nations and emerging economies, are of particular significance. They represent a large proportion of the world’s population and economic output and agree on joint positions on global policy issues. The annually rotating presidencies of the G7 and G20 perform an important task in shaping and implementing the respective agendas. Thus, every member country uses its presidency to set its own agenda and policy priorities.

Germany advocates that development and sustainability policy objectives such as the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Climate Agreement remain highly important in the G7 and G20 processes. In this context, particular opportunities – and challenges – will arise during the preparations for and in the course of Germany's G7 presidency in 2022.

Objective

BMZ helps to shape the development policy agendas of the G7 and G20 and other multilateral forums and processes. Development and sustainability policy objectives geared towards the 2030 Agenda are mainstreamed to a greater extent in the G7 and G20. Civil society stakeholders from Germany and the global south are involved to a greater extent in the development processes of the G7 and G20. 

Approach

The project supports BMZ in aligning, shaping and mainstreaming German development policy priorities in the G7 and G20 and in other multilateral forums and processes. It does this through three fields of activity:

1.) Shaping multilateral development policy 

The project advises BMZ on the implementation of the new multilateral strategy. To this end, for example, it identifies possibilities for improving the integration of bilateral and multilateral development cooperation, analyses trends in development policy and the global governance system, and strategically assesses the positioning of emerging economies. The project also supports BMZ in the increased involvement in multilateral networks. In addition, it provides advice with regards to designing donor cooperation arrangements with G7 countries that are not members of the European Union (EU). 

2.) Supporting the G7 and G20 development agendas

The project advises BMZ on following up on the development policy successes of its G7 and G20 presidencies in 2015 and 2017, maintaining implementation efforts and incorporating German priorities into the current G7 and G20 development agendas. Through selected seconding of personnel to G7 and G20 partners as well as relevant international organisations, development and sustainability policy objectives are mainstreamed to a greater extent in the G7 and G20. As of 2021, the project will be helping to prepare the German development policy G7 programme. In 2022, it will be supporting the realisation of the German G7 presidency. This will be done in consultation and exchange with other relevant development policy actors.

3.) Promoting the legitimation of the G7 and G20

To supplement the above fields of action, the project advises BMZ on connecting the global agendas of the G7 and G20 to a greater extent with the concerns of local stakeholders and on involving civil society representatives from Germany and the global south more intensively. To this end, the project develops and implements dialogue formats, monitors relevant civil society activities and analyses and evaluates documents. Moreover, it supports selected partner organisations from the global south.

Additional information