History of the G20 summit

The G20 started in 1999 as a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis.

In 2008, the first G20 summit was held in Washington DC before the outbreak of the global financial crisis and the group played a key role in the response to the crisis.

In September 2009, the Pittsburgh Summit announced G20 as the premier forum for international economic cooperation, marking important progress in global economic governance reform. The G20 presidency rotates annually among its members. The 10th Summit was held in Antalya, Turkey in November, 2015.

Some guest countries and the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, the Financial Stability Board, the International Labour Organization, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) were also invited to attend the G20 Summit.

Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon speaks at a press conference at the G20 summit in Brisbane, Australia, Nov 15, 2014. [Photo/IC]