30 August 2013: In a letter to the Group of 20 (G20) ahead of its 2013 Leaders’ Summit, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calls on the Group to take leadership on issues of sustainability. He encourages the member countries to promote inclusive growth and job creation, while implementing a sustainable development agenda. The G20 will hold its annual summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on 5-6 September 2013.

Ban urges the world’s 20 leading economies to increase efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and increase their commitments to financing for development. Highlighting climate change, food security, education and poverty, among other issues, he writes that collective action between G20 nations is essential for global progress.

On economic recovery, Ban encourages policy coordination to strengthen the inclusiveness of growth and to mitigate vulnerability for developing countries. He calls for ‘renewed progress in trade, finance, technology, and knowledge-sharing,’ and for policies that promote jobs for all members of the population.

Ahead of the Summit, the G20 has released an accountability report on development financing commitments. The report looks at progress made by the G20 Development Working Group (DWG) efforts, including on infrastructure, food security, trade, inclusive and green growth, job creation, and resource mobilization.

The G20’s members are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, and the US, as well as the EU. [UN Press Release] [Publication: Saint Petersburg Accountability Report on G20 Development Commitments] [G20 Website]