Berlin on 28-29 May 2018
Global challenges require global solutions: With this credo, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW) organised the 2nd Global Solutions Summit, established 2017 under the German Think20 (T20) Coordination. This year, in collaboration with the Argentinian T20 coordinators CIPPEC and CARI, the global think tank meeting again set out to propose policy recommendations to major G20 topics such as the future of work, infrastructure for sustainable development, food security and international economic governance.
As a Strategic Partner of Argentina´s T20, GIZ, also through efforts of the Emerging Market Sustainability Dialogues (EMSD), became one of the Knowledge Partners of at the Global Solutions Summit, participating in a session focusing on achievements of the G20 Initiative Compact with Africa one year after its launch under German Presidency, and hosting and chairing two T20 sessions that presented policy recommendations from the Task Forces on the Future of Work and on Migration:
After a keynote address by GIZ Vice Chair of the Management Board, Dr. Christoph Beier, the panel on “G20 and Africa: Global Solutions through the Compact with Africa?” explored how the Compact with Africa and the African Union´s Agenda 2063 may contribute to sustainable development initiatives and attract necessary investment. While the panellists agreed on the importance of the Agenda 2063 as endogenous pan-African commitment for a sustainable future, they saw many challenges for its achievement, emphasizing particularly the lack of sustainable livelihood opportunities for the rapidly growing youth of the continent.
Dr. Astrid Skala-Kuhmann, GIZ, as Co-Chair of the T20 Task Force on Migration (TFM) led a panel session discussing challenges Towards Well Managed Migration Policies: the Role of Regional Agreements. Highlighting the need to distinguish clearly between special needs of refugees and “regular” migrants, the panellists agreed that both groups eventually demand specific integration policies. As most flows today occur in a regional sphere rather than globally, agreements on a regional level are of utmost importance to be able to govern the migration flows and integration. Preliminary results of this year’s work of the TFM were reported: Strengthening data and research to better inform policy making, with a focus on socio-economic integration models through labor market and education measures. Improving access to education for migrant children is again an established priority of the TFM. In terms of migration management, specific attention is given to the role of cities as active agents dealing with immigrants’ integration process, and the need to strengthen their institutional capacity.
How digitalisation affects labour markets in the face of high informality, social inequality and weak institutions, was discussed in a session on “The Future of Work in Low and Middle Income Countries: Shaping Large-Scale Transformations,” chaired by Antje Uhlig, Lead for Sustainable Economic Policy at EMSD. Panellists agreed that, contrary to the current “mainstream” narrative of job losses and gains to even out in the longer run, labour market narratives would differ extremely across socio-economic settings. They urged G20 policy makers to acknowledge these multiple realities. The panel also pointed out digital opportunities to foster a more integrated labour market while facilitating the adequate social protection schemes and labour organizations. There is a need for new coalitions of political and social actors.
The Summit succeeded not only in galvanizing important recommendations to the G20 governments that the Argentinian T20 coordinators will be able to concretize until this year’s T20 Summit, scheduled 16 to 18 September in Buenos Aires. It also gathered high-level representatives from politics, leading think tanks, policy-makers, business and civil society. Chancellor Angela Merkel, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas and Federal Minister of Finance and Vice-Chancellor Olaf Scholz prominently represented the German Government and addressed the audience with keynote speeches, reinforcing the importance of multilateral cooperation.
GIZ has successfully built up on its role as implementation and knowledge partner since the Summit in 2017. With Dr. Christoph Beier’s appointment to IfW’s Global Solutions Multistakeholder Council, GIZ will stay closely engaged and contribute implementing knowledge to this global initiative.
For further information, please contact: antje.uhlig@giz.de
For the Key Policy Recommendations presented at the Global Solutions Summit 2018, please click here.
For videos of speeches and selected panels of the Global Solutions Summit, click here and find the agenda here.
