GCAP Applauds Korea For Inviting More Voices To The G20 Table

Make Poverty History is part of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty.

The Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), the world's largest network of anti-poverty coalitions, at its once-in-three year general assembly in Newark, New Jersey welcomed Korea's announcement that the leaders of the African Union, ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the Global Governance Group and NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development) have been invited to participate in the upcoming G20 Summit in Seoul on 11-12 November.

GCAP began campaigning last December for the African Union and NEPAD to be given permanent seats at the G20 table. The African Union subsequently made a formal request for inclusion at its summit in Kampala in July.

“The G20 makes decisions that affect the people of Africa. Our leaders must be at the table, they must be partners in the conversation if we are to truly eradicate poverty and inequality on our continent” says GCAP Ambassador Adelaide Sosseh.

This is the second time that the chair of the African Union has been invited to a G20 Summit. Canada invited the African Union and NEPAD to the Toronto G20 in June but this time Korea notes that the guest list was prepared after consulting with the entire G20.

“G20 member nations have finally agreed that we needed to have a better geographical balance,” Korea's top G20 negotiator Rhee Chang-yong told the media in Seoul. “We have forgone the right to select invitees for the sake of a greater good. We have set a tradition that the invitations should be made on a consensus of G20 members, not in the host country’s own desire.”

It is not clear whether the African Union, NEPAD, ASEAN and the Global Governance Group have been given permanent seats in the G-20, but GCAP strongly believes that this should be the case.

“We are extremely pleased that our government has opened the way for the G-20 +5,” says Jinho Song of GCAP Korea. “Fighting poverty will be near the top of the agenda when the group meets in November and Africa must be at the table for this discussion. We hope that this move towards greater inclusion will lead to better outcomes, such as the adoption of a financial transaction tax that would generate funds to fight climate change, ensure the provision of basic social services and meet the Millennium Development Goals."