Press Conference by Mexican Presidency of Group of 20

 

Transparency and intergovernmental coordination for recovery from the economic crisis were the priority of the Mexican presidency of the G-20, the Group of the world’s 20 largest economies, in preparations for the upcoming summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, a representative of the presidency said this morning.

“There is need to cooperate and coordinate our positions, not only in this international body, but also at the regional level,” Lourdes Aranda, who is the Mexican “Sherpa”, or emissary for her Head of Government in G-20 matters, told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference ahead of the seventh G-20 leaders summit, to take place in Los Cabos on 18‑19 June.

Ms. Aranda said she was in New York meeting with, among others, representatives of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, business leaders, and individual interested Governments, as well as with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as part of the continuous outreach being conducted by the presidency.  She added that Roberto Marino, Special Representative for the G-20 during the Mexican presidency, who accompanied her to the press conference, had been travelling the world meeting with leaders in all sectors, gathering input for the summit.

She said that the priorities of Mexico, the first Latin American G-20 leader, included, of course, follow-up to previous commitments, including long- and medium-term issues, but the urgency of the moment was economic stabilization and structural reforms to spur growth, increase employment and consolidate food security following the world economic crisis.  Green growth, sustainable development and addressing climate change were important related concerns.

Very close attention was being paid to developments in the eurozone.  She welcomed recent moves to stabilize the currency there, as well as the increase in resources available through the International Monetary Fund (IMF), stressing that although the solution to national and regional economies must come from the countries involved, it was critical that the international community work together to overcome crises.

There had been a meeting of labour ministers of the G-20 ahead of the summit, she reported, in which employment of young people had been one of the most important issues discussed, with school-to job-transitions, special programmes, training and sharing of green technologies among the important factors in that discussion.

Similarly, she said, the first ever G-20 trade ministers meeting, in April, had addressed the linkages among trade, economic growth and job creation, as well as countering protectionism and other related issues.  She said participants called it the most open and frank meeting on the issue, partially because there was no binding agreement on the table and ministers were able to think outside the box.

In terms of development issues, she said that the presidency was focused on infrastructure — particularly sustainable urban transportation — as well as green growth in general and food security, all of which required greater private investment and the transfer of technologies to developing countries.  In agriculture, partnerships and improved productivity of small-holder farmers was important.

Asked about the relationship between the G-20 and the General Assembly, she said that the G-20 relied heavily on the United Nations for expertise and information, as it did not have specialized bodies.  There was much interaction with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), various Secretariat offices and the regional commissions.  The G-20, she stressed, was a smaller, flexible mechanism with a more focused agenda that could move on issues that were stalled in larger forums, and was developing an open transparent relationship with the United Nations.

On the Volcker rule, which would, in the United States, prevent banks from much of the securities trading they had become involved with, she said that repercussions on other countries had been actively discussed in specialized forums, but no conclusions had yet been reached.  She said that in the international system, each country’s national legislation must be taken into account when it had impact on other countries.

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For information media • not an official record