The Interplay between the G20 and the World Trade Organization

The G20 brings together leaders of the twenty systemically most important economies to discuss global issues in an informal setting. As a network it does not have the formal decision-making procedures and rules of procedure that characterize traditional international organizations, and its output takes shape in the form of communiqués and declarations, generating interesting forms of ‘informal lawmaking'. Moreover, the G20 interacts in a number of ways with other, more formal international organizations, like the WTO, whose Director-General is typically present at all G20 summits. A prominent example of cooperation between international organizations upon request of the G20 are the semi-annual trade reports that are compiled by the WTO, OECD and UNCTAD, and which monitor the compliance of G20 members with their commitments to resist protectionism. But the G20 dynamics also are said to have a complementary effect upon the WTO, in the sense that they are expected to generate political support for the decision-making process in the latter, pressurizing it to accelerate its initiatives, including the Doha Development Agenda. Moreover, it has been observed that the G20's activities have a ‘rebalancing effect' on global governance and international organizations, in that they bring emerging economies into agenda-setting and coordination discussions serve as a possible catalyst for reform of formal international organizations like the WTO. Last but not least, a ‘replacement' effect has been voiced to some extent. This contribution takes stock of these interactions and critically assesses them