26 January 2016: The Group of 20 (G20) was rated as “Fair” in its responsiveness to policy recommendations from business, in an annual scorecard issued by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The 2015 G20 Business Scorecard shows member countries having made progress on a number of international business priorities as set by the Business 20 (B20), including on Energy and Environment, and Anti-Corruption. However, the G20 also missed opportunities for advancing trade and international investment policy frameworks, the ICC finds.

The Scorecard was presented at a B20 meeting on 26 January 2016, in Beijing, China. The B20 is a platform for the international business community to participate in global economic governance and international economic and trade regulation.

The Scorecard’s fifth edition examines 25 business priorities developed during the 2015 Turkish B20 cycle, and rates G20 responsiveness in: trade; financing growth; infrastructure and investment; employment; anti-corruption; small and medium enterprise (SMEs) and entrepreneurship; and energy and environment. For 2015, ICC Secretary General John Danilovich noted, the score (2.0 out of 3.0) is “a slight decrease” from the Brisbane and St. Petersburg cycles’ scores of 2.1.

According to the Scorecard, “passive wording” in the Antalya Communiqué was “a missed opportunity” to amplify the urgency of advancing the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) to the implementation stage. Such wording also failed to reflect the importance of TFA progress to adding US$1 trillion to global GDP and 18 million jobs, primarily in emerging markets. Other shortcomings were identified in G20 action on investment and infrastructure, and leadership on international investment governance, including a B20 recommendation for a model investment framework.

The G20 was ranked more highly on its commitments to SMEs due to the G20’s official recognition of the new World SME Forum (WSF), and on Energy and Environment, on which the G20 received its highest score since the ICC began monitoring. The ICC explains that the increase is the result of a heightened focus on energy and climate change in the Antalya Leader’s Communiqué, coupled with the first G20 Energy Ministers Meeting on 2 October 2015, which indicate that energy and climate issues are gaining greater traction in G20 deliberations. The Scorecard also reflects good G20 progress on anti-corruption, such as the ongoing partnership between the B20 and the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG).

Prior to the B20 meeting, ICC Secretary General John Danilovich was appointed a member of the Global Commission on Business and Sustainable Development, launched in Davos, Switzerland, during the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2016. The Commission will quantify the business benefits of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and investigate how businesses can realize significant long-term economic rewards while contributing to achieve sustainable development. [ICC Press Release] [Publication: ICC G20 Business Scorecard] [Global Commission on Business and Sustainable Development (GCBSD)] [IISD RS Story on WEF 2016]