Research Institutes and Think Tanks Support Germany as It Takes Over G20 Presidency

Hamburg, 30 November 2016. As Germany prepares to take over the G20 presidency on 1 December 2016, the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) and other leading research institutes and think tanks are coming together to bring their analyses and ideas to the G20 process. Topics dealt with by the G20 include the world economy, trade, financial markets, climate change, migration, sustainable development, peace, and security – among others. About 70 meetings, from the working-group to the ministerial level, are scheduled to take place before the upcoming G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, on 7–8 July 2017.

The German Development Institute and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy are leading the accompanying T20 process. The GIGA is delighted to collaborate with them and other international stakeholders. The T20 (Think-20) serves as an “ideas bank” for the G20 and adds analytical depth to discussions on the pressing challenges the world faces today. It facilitates interaction and dialogue among its members and provides research-based policy advice. It develops policy recommendations within thematic task forces and organises events and dialogues with G20 policymakers, other engagement groups, and the global public.

In support of the German government and the Hamburg Senate, the GIGA is making its particular expertise on issues of global governance within the G20 countries and beyond available to the G20 process. With its long-standing record of independent, in-depth, comparative, and multi-level research on economic, political, and social developments in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, the GIGA provides valuable perspectives from those world regions that otherwise often tend to be excluded. GIGA experts are involved in the T20 task forces on Trade and Investment, Forced Migration, and are co-chairing the 2030 Agenda Task Force. The institute is also active in the C20 (Civil-20) network, an association of civil society organisations. Professor Narlikar, president of the GIGA, points out that “these initiatives will be a valuable resource to the leaders’ summit, delivering innovative ideas to combat international problems, as well as improving the legitimacy and ownership of the solutions.”

Members of the press are invited to tap into this unique knowledge and get in touch with GIGA scholars for commentary and analysis on the G20 and its issue areas. A list of our 100 experts and their subject areas, as well as contact details, can be found in our website’s press centre.

Further information T20 Germany website