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April in London ... the summit guest list and what they’ll be discussing
Evening Standard20.03.09
When is it?
The London Summit is on 2 and 3 April at the ExCel centre in Docklands. World leaders fly in from 30 March and will gather for a grand reception at Buckingham Palace on 1 April.
Who is coming?
The G20 is a club for the biggest or wealthiest countries, who own 90 per cent of wealth and control 80 per cent of trade. Heads of state and government are coming from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, and the United States.
Anyone else?
Representatives from Africa, South East Asia and the President of the European Commission are invited. So are the heads of various global institutions, including the World Trade Organisation, the World Bank and the IMF.
What is on the agenda?
The official agenda has three items. First, to take whatever action is needed to stabilise financial markets and help people through the recession. Second, to reform and strengthen the global financial and economic system to restore confidence and trust. Third, to put the global economy on track for sustainable growth.
What is missing?
Conspicuously absent as a summit objective is the idea of a fresh global economic stimulus package. Gordon Brown and Barack Obama would both like to trumpet such a move but Europe is not keen and most countries have already set their tax and spending budgets for the current year anyway.
How will London be affected?
Expect disruption at airports for the big arrivals like Air Force One and traffic chaos in central London when the motorcades converge on Buckingham Palace. Docklands will become a fortress for a few days.
