The G20 in the Constellation of Gs

Abstract

How did the G20 come about? It is impossible to comprehend the diplomatic status of this group without understanding its origin. But it is also extremely difficult to trace the history of an entity whose culture is predominantly oral. Legally established organizations such as the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) produce large volumes of documents—deliberations, communiqués, declarations and so on—which are all archived. The abundance of documentation makes it possible to reconstruct the history of these institutions, within the limits of the transparency of their proceedings and their main actors. An informal institution such as the G20, not having any legal structure, logically produces far fewer written or publicly accessible documents. Peter Hajnal has pointed out that when the G20 met at the ministerial level, the documentation produced essentially consisted in the final communiqués of its meetings.1 That remains true for the G20 summit meetings of heads of state and government. Writing the history of the Group of Twenty thus entails observing what is apparent but that has not necessarily been expressed—for instance, the evolution in meeting formats and agenda—, or else retracing the trajectory of its components—the G7 countries, the emerging nations or even its individual members.