World leaders will gather at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Tuesday, November 15 and Wednesday, November 16.
The intergovernmental forum comprises 19 countries as well as the European Union.
The Bali summit will focus on three main areas — global health, digital economic transformation and energy transition.
The underlying theme of the summit is Recover Together, Recover Stronger.
But what is the G20 and why does it matter?
What is the G20?
The G20 is an all-purpose platform for diplomacy.
The group comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK the US and the EU.
Spain is a permanent guest, as are the UN, the African Union, the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) and the World Bank.
Members account for more than four-fifths of the world’s GDP, three-quarters of its trade and three-fifths of its population.
How does the summit work?
Formed in 1999 to broaden the scope of the G7 with an inaugural meeting in Berlin, the G20’s primary goal is to prevent global financial crises.
Every year, the host nation — known as the Presidency — invites guest countries and global and local organisations to participate, broadening the forum’s representation.
This year, Indonesia has invited the UAE, Singapore, Cambodia and Ukraine. The full list is yet to be released.
How often does the G20 meet?
The Presidency rotates, with the host country working together with its predecessor and successor, known as the Troika, to ensure continuity.
Italy, Indonesia, and India make this year’s Troika.
The G20 initially met twice a year, but has been meeting once a year since 2011.
Having no permanent secretariat, the group’s agenda and co-ordination is done by the leaders’ personal representatives, known as sherpas, together with finance ministers and central bank governors.
Meetings among trade ministers, finance ministers and central bank governors set the agenda and culminate into the main conference.
How does it work?
At the end of the conference, a statement of the commitments and the visions is drafted from the chosen recommendations and deliverables arrived at the meetings.
Nothing is binding, though, and there is no enforcement beyond peer pressure.
Most of what is announced at the summit has been decided in pre-summit talks between the officials who do the diplomatic work for the leaders who attend the main summit.
The G20 has often been called a gabfest, where leaders talk aplenty, but achieve very little.
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Barbie
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16 second leg
Paris Saint-Germain (1) v Borussia Dortmund (2)
Kick-off: Midnight, Thursday, March 12
Stadium: Parc des Princes
Live: On beIN Sports HD
The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Other key dates
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Finals draw: December 2
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Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Where to apply
Applicants should send their completed applications - CV, covering letter, sample(s) of your work, letter of recommendation - to Nick March, Assistant Editor in Chief at The National and UAE programme administrator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, by 5pm on April 30, 2020.
Please send applications to nmarch@thenational.ae and please mark the subject line as “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism (UAE programme application)”.
The local advisory board will consider all applications and will interview a short list of candidates in Abu Dhabi in June 2020. Successful candidates will be informed before July 30, 2020.
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