G20 in Argentina - Priorities
Unleashing peoples' potential
Access the full version of the Overview of Argentina's G20 Presidency 2018
Technological change is extraordinary in its magnitude and speed. The emergence of new technologies has led to the development of new forms of work that are rapidly changing production processes worldwide. This offers huge opportunities to accomplish fair and sustainable development; yet it also presents challenges that are putting pressure on the employment, welfare and education agendas.
Policy responses need to ensure that embracing technological change will not engender exclusion, social disintegration, or backlash. Providing these responses in a coordinated manner will also help prevent excessive gaps in technology adoption across countries and surging inequality among them.
We need to create the conditions for more and better jobs. We need to provide tools and skills to those people looking for a job and those whose jobs are at risk of being replaced by automation. We should explore global initiatives that ensure that everyone has a chance to develop their full potential so as to benefit from the new technological era.
We will seek to pin down the impact that technological change is having on productivity, growth, jobs, and inequality. Following a diagnostics phase, we will also explore the policies needed to embrace the opportunities and address the challenges presented by technology.
Education is at the crux of this debate. Education empowers people to shape their own futures. It enables them to create their own endeavours and form an active citizenship able to contribute to the development of a world that is both fairer and more sustainable.
Making the new wave of technological breakthroughs as inclusive as possible will require considerable investment in training and skills for life and work. It may also require an adaptation in our fiscal policies or structural reforms. Now is the moment to shape the opportunities and skills that prepare our citizens for change.
Mobilize private resources to reduce the infrastructure gap
Access the full version of the Overview of Argentina's G20 Presidency 2018
Investment in transportation, basic sanitation, energy flows and digital connectivity enhances access and boosts growth and productivity.
Now is the time for an infrastructure investment overhaul. The estimated USD 5.5 trillion global spending gap between now and 2035 can and should be bridged; institutional investors around the world have USD 80 trillion in assets under management, typically offering low returns.
Argentina is a strong case study for our G20 agenda; the country is developing its most ambitious infrastructure plan ever, with over US $130 billion in projects in roads, railways, water & sanitation, irrigation, ports & airports, urban mobility and public housing.
Infrastructure projects are, by nature, complex, heterogeneous and require years to generate returns. It is an intricate sector, with little data on market performance and insufficient instruments to address its particular risks. However, the Argentine G20 presidency believes that in this global context, with the guidance of the private sector and involving MDBs, progress can be made in developing infrastructure as an asset class.
Quality food management in the face of rapid population growth, changing consumer demand and climate challenges
Access the full version of the Overview of Argentina's G20 Presidency 2018
G20 territories account for around 60% of all agricultural land and almost 80% of trade in food and agricultural commodities.
Approximately 10 million hectares of cropland are lost every year due to soil erosion. The reduction of the land available for food production causes an irreversible degradation to the ecosystem which becomes dramatic in developing countries or regions with high food insecurity. Smart land management will help combat and mitigate the effects of climate change. Healthy, fertile, and productive soil will help meet the dietary needs of future populations, its preservation and care paramount to people’s general development and well-being.
The presidency’s work here will explore how the G20 can provide the international coordination necessary to foster public-private collaboration between industries, governments, international agencies, farmers' associations and civil society, to put in place responsible land management techniques and treat soil as a strategic resource for sustainable agriculture and food production.
Gender mainstreaming
Access the full version of the Overview of Argentina's G20 Presidency 2018
Gender issues play a significant role across the entire G20 agenda in 2018. True development must put an end to gender inequality and guarantee women’s digital and financial inclusion.
As a result of structural inequalities, public policies tend to have different implications for women and men. That is why the Argentine Presidency is fostering a gender mainstreaming strategy across the whole G20 agenda.
The only way to achieve truly fair and sustainable development is by ensuring that women and men will benefit equally from it. The G20 agenda in 2018 seeks to boost women's empowerment, the elimination of gender disparities in employment, science, technology and education, and protection from all forms of gender-based violence.
