Not easy to navigate amongst all these international organizations with sometimes blurred roles. This is precisely the moment to revisit what the G20 represents and to understand the issues of the coming year.
The G20 comprises 19 countries, the European Union, and, since 2023, the African Union. Together, they account for 80% of the world's population, nearly 90% of global GDP, and 80% of world trade. This group gained prominence after the 2008 financial crisis, becoming one of the main spaces for global macroeconomic coordination.
Since then, its scope has broadened. The recent South-led presidencies - Indonesia (2022), India (2023), and Brazil (2024) - and others before them have highlighted themes such as climate, digital inclusion or development finance. A legacy that could be undermined.
Florida 2026: a return to basics
What to expect from next year's summit as the Donald Trump administration has largely shown skepticism toward multilateral institutions?
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled the first priorities: securing critical mineral supply chains, understanding the engines of innovation, and exploring the uses of artificial intelligence. More generally, the working groups will focus more on financial themes. Some of these groups, notably on energy, health, trade, and the environment, are expected to be suspended according to Reuters.
The United States trails China in terms of cooperation with the Global South. The year ahead represents an opportunity to address this by trying to define the rules of a new global balance that they themselves helped destabilize.
And when American leaders talk about "return to basics," it is not half-hearted. Donald Trump complained in his own way that the G20 had become the G100 in recent years. No doubt a reference to the African Union's inclusion. The efforts of Southern countries toward greater integration risk being undermined with a summit in a "concentrated group" next year, according to his remarks.
Emmanuel Macron spoke of "the end of a cycle" for the G20, lamenting the difficulty this group has to address major international crises. He added that "We all must be lucid that the G20 is at risk if we do not collectively refocus on a few priorities".
A Political Interest?
It is also important to connect this with the midterm elections awaiting the 47th president of the United States. During 2023, G20 meetings took place across India, and Narendra Modi did not miss the opportunity to use his temporary leadership in service of his presidential bid. A development that worked in his favor and that Donald Trump could echo.
