Business at OECD supports the B20 Dialogue, which offers advice to the rotating G20 presidencies. We ensure continuity in the B20 process by actively participating in all B20 taskforces. We also share positions which are influential in shaping the B20 agenda across themes, and by facilitating meetings with the OECD leadership and governments in Paris, such as during our Annual Joint Sessions.
Engagement with G20 and B20 Presidencies
In 2017, Business at OECD continues its broad engagement with the German B20. We are working closely with our German members BDI and BDA as they took the lead of the B20. We participate in all German B20 taskforces, and acts as an official network partner for the Digitalization taskforce, the Responsible Business Conduct and Anti Corruption cross-thematic group, and the Health Initiative.
At the B20 Summit in Berlin, our Chairman Phil O’Reilly highlighted the OECD’s role in promoting open and competitive markets, and discussed the future of trade and investment on a high-level panel with the Director-General of the WTO and global business leadership. The Summit was held under the leading theme Resilience, Responsibility, Responsiveness – Towards a Future-oriented, Sustainable World Economy, and senior representatives and leadership from the German G20 and B20 presidencies, international organizations and governments attended the event. The B20 recommendations were handed over to the Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and several Ministers, who also spoke at the event.
In cooperation with B20 Germany and the OECD, we co-hosted the B20-OECD-Businesss at OECD Joint Session on 22 March 2017. This final conference before the B20 Summit in May featured a final meeting of all B20 Task Forces and Cross-thematic Groups, and focused on the advocacy of B20 recommendations prior to the G20 Sherpa meeting. Read our press release here.
On 8 December 2016, Business at OECD also organized its annual Business Day discussing OECD contributions to the G20 and B20. This unique event connected business leaders with key OECD representatives and B20 leadership.
In 2016, we actively participated in the B20 taskforces, and helped shape the B20 agenda through high-impact events and policy dialogue in Paris and beyond.
Together with the OECD, we hosted the Chinese B20 meetings of task forces, exchanging interim results of the B20 and preparing for the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Hangzhou in September. Over 450 business delegates attended these meetings, which included a special plenary session where business, government, and OECD leaders exchanged views on the importance of business-government dialogue to help achieve G20 impact.
Building on earlier work undertaken during the Turkish G20 Presidency in 2015, we convened a high-level roundtable on Financing SMEs in global value chains, co-hosted with the OECD, B20 China, the World SME Forum, and the SME Finance Forum.
We ensured continuity in the B20 process by actively participating in all B20 taskforces. We also shared positions which were influential in shaping the B20 agenda across themes, and by facilitating meetings with the OECD leadership and governments in Paris.
Building on our work with the Australian B20, we met with the Turkish B20 Leadership in September 2014 in Ankara to discuss areas of collaboration and the importance of continuity across B20 presidencies. In December 2014, Business at OECD Secretary General spoke at the Inaugural Meeting of the Turkish B20 Presidency, alongside Eric Labaye, Mc Kinsey Global Institute Chairman, Hüsnü Ozyegin, Fiba Holding Chairman, and John Danilovich, ICC Secretary General. Our committee leaders are currently rep¬resented across all six taskforces of the B20.
Together with the OECD, we hosted a conference of the B20 taskforces in Paris on 2 June 2015 with over 250 business and government participants, including OECD Ministers, in attendance. The Conference featured keynote speeches from OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria, our Chair Phil O’Reilly, B20 Turkey Chair and TOBB President Rifat Hisarciklioğlu, and G20 Turkey Sherpa Ayşe Sinirlioğlu.
Leaders from the six B20 task forces presented their recommendations, followed with feedback from OECD Directors. Participants then engaged in an interactive online voting to prioritize recommendations. A panel on global governance followed OECD G20 Sherpa Gabriela Ramos, our Secretary General Bernhard Welschke, Dutch Ambassador to the OECD Noé Van Hulst, B20 Employment Taskforce Coordinating Chair Ali Koç and ICC Secretary General John Danilovich. The speakers emphasized the need for continuity and the challenges in global governance ahead for the international community, as well as the importance for B20 and G20 dialogue.
The success of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in global markets in is one of the priority issues for the Turkish G20 and B20. However, SMEs struggle to access the financing they require to participate in and across markets. Conscious of the financing challenge, Business at OECD and B20 Turkey held a Business Access to Global Value Chains and Financing SMEs conference on 4 June in Paris, which brought together representatives from government, finance, and business. The results of this initiative were the subject of a publication, which seeks to pave the way for actions to support SMEs in contribution to the G20 Leaders’ Summit in November 2015.
Business at OECD participated in the Australian Business 20 Summit organized on 17 and 18 July 2014 in Sydney, where the Recommendations of the business community for the Australian G20 Presidency were finalized. Australia’s Prime Minister Tony Abbott addressed 400 business leaders stressing the vital role of the private sector for a more sustainable global recovery. Our Chair Phil O’Reilly spoke on a panel about entrepreneurship and Human Capital. He also addressed the B20 plenary meeting on business advocacy towards the G20—and stressed the need of continuity and consistency for the G20 business message.
Among the highlights in Sydney was a breakfast meeting with OECD Secretary Angel Gurria and G20 business leaders, hosted by Business at OECD with the support of Deloitte Australia. Participants were united in the expectation that the OECD will continue to play a major role as a knowledge partner of the G20 on efficient markets, competitiveness, and growth. Below are pictures of the event.
