Key world leaders meet today and tomorrow in Buenos Aires for the 2018 G20 Summit to discuss some pressing issues on the global agenda. Held for the first time in history in South America, the meeting closes the work of G20 Argentina.
Argentine President, Mauricio Macri, will lead the discussions at the Summit venue in Costa Salguero, a site located along the Río de la Plata. Participants include Emmanuel Macron, Theresa May, Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin, Justin Trudeau, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, among other G20 leaders. The Summit will also bring together leaders from G20 guest countries, including Sebastián Piñera from Chile, Pedro Sánchez from Spain and Mark Rutte from the Netherlands, as well as senior officials from partner international organizations such as Jim Yong Kim (World Bank), Christine Lagarde (IMF) and António Guterres (United Nations).
Over the two-day meeting, the 38 heads of delegation will work to build consensus based on the agreements reached at the 80 plus pre-Summit meetings of G20 Argentina. The goal is to agree on a final document focused on fair and sustainable development.
Official activities will begin on Friday 30 November at 10.00 am with the leaders’ arrival and the host president’s official welcome. At 12.30 pm, after a closed-door retreat session, President Macri will open the plenary sessions, which will be held under the slogan “A fair and sustainable future.” Macri’s opening remarks will be streamed live on the G20 YouTube channel. With a focus on the core messages of “Putting people first” and “Building consensus,” the discussions on Friday will end at 4.45 pm.
At around 6.00 pm, leaders and their partners will participate in a cultural event at the iconic Colón Theatre featuring 84 dancers, 75 musicians and guest artists. They will also share an official dinner. The menu will include traditional Argentine dishes and a selection of wines from the country’s wine regions (the North, Patagonia and Mendoza).
The agenda continues on Saturday 1 December with plenary sessions starting at 10.00 am, followed by a working lunch entitled “Embracing opportunities.” At 2.45 pm local time, once the closed-door sessions are over, Macri will give a press conference to brief on the Summit’s main conclusions.
Partners’ Programme
On the margins of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Buenos Aires on 30 November and 1 December, partners of G20 heads of State and Government will take part in a special Partners’ Programme. Hosted by Argentine First Lady Juliana Awada, the programme seeks to promote the best of Argentina’s art, culture and cuisine, and raise awareness about the region’s most important issues, with a special focus on early childhood.
Today, they will visit Villa Ocampo, which was formerly the residence of Victoria Ocampo, one of Argentina’s leading cultural figures. Partners will tour the villa and then enjoy a traditional Argentine lunch prepared by renowned chef Francis Mallmann.
