G-20 summit: what do people actually have against it?

The G-20 summit will take place in Hamburg next weekend. Numerous people are already protesting in protest camps. Find out what people have against the G20 summit in this article.

G20 summit - what is actually happening there?

The G20 Summit will take place this year on July 7 and 8 in Hamburg on the proposal of the Federal Chancellor. A different country hosts the summit each year. The meeting took place in China last year, the last meeting in Germany was in 2004 in Berlin.

• G20 stands for "Group of 20". It is a union of the 19 most important industrialized and emerging countries and the European Union.
• The G20 countries represent almost two-thirds of the world's population and together generate 85 percent of the world's gross domestic product.
• The heads of state and government as well as the finance ministers and central bank heads of the 19 member states take part in the annual meetings. For the EU, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Central Bank take part. The Director of the International Monetary Fund, the Chairman of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC), the President of the World Bank and the Chairman of the Development Committee of the OECD are also present.
• The meetings should serve to discuss problems of international importance and to work out solutions. Topics include climate change or the refugee crisis.

Criticism of the G20 summit - what do people have against it?

There is much criticism of the group of 20 and the G20 summit. In Hamburg, people from all over Europe are currently protesting against the meeting. The criticisms in the overview:

• The participants: Heads of state who are accused of violating human rights also take part in the summit. For example Erdoğan for Turkey or Putin for Russia.
• Who does not come: Only 19 countries and the EU take part in the G20 summit. Nevertheless, topics are discussed and decisions are made that affect all countries in the world. For example, only one country from Africa takes part: South Africa. Nevertheless, famines and wars in Africa are also being discussed.
• Undemocratic: The 20 participants are not elected democratically. The G20 is not an official institution, in contrast to the UN, in which all states are represented.
• Hypocritical: Critics accuse members of fighting war, poverty or climate change as just a cover for the G20 summit. Instead of eliminating problems, the states would use the summit to negotiate past the UN. This would exacerbate global inequality through privatization, deregulation and financial collusion.

We have summarized all information about G20 for you in another article.