The G20 Summit is the annual meeting of the G20 (Group of Twenty), an intergovernmental forum and concept that serves as the premier platform for international economic cooperation. It comprises 19 sovereign countries, the European Union (EU), and the African Union (AU). The G20 was formally established on September 26, 1999, at the G7 Finance Ministers' meeting, with its first ministerial meeting in December 1999 in Berlin. It was created in response to the financial crises of the late 1990s, such as the Asian financial crisis, to include systemically important emerging economies in global economic discussions, expanding on the work of the G7. The forum was elevated to the level of Heads of State/Government in 2008 in Washington, D.C., to coordinate the global response to the financial crisis.
The G20 operates without a permanent secretariat, with its leadership rotating annually among members. The work is managed through two parallel mechanisms: the Finance Track, led by finance ministers and central bank governors, and the Sherpa Track, led by the leaders' personal representatives (Sherpas) who negotiate on broader issues like development and climate change. Continuity is ensured by the Troika, a group consisting of the previous, current, and incoming presidencies. The G20 connects to major international financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization (WTO), which are regular participants. A significant recent change occurred at the 2023 New Delhi Summit, where the African Union was admitted as a permanent member, expanding the group to 21 members. The forum's focus has also expanded from its original mandate of macroeconomic policy to include issues like global health, climate change, and artificial intelligence.