Group of 15

Summary

The Group of 15 (G-15)[1] is an informal forum set up to foster cooperation and provide input for other international groups, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Group of Seven. It was established at the Ninth Non-Aligned Movement Summit Meeting in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in September 1989, and is composed of countries from Latin America, Africa, and Asia with a common goal of enhanced growth and prosperity. The G-15 focuses on cooperation among developing countries in the areas of investment, trade, and technology. Chile, Iran and Kenya have since joined the Group of 15, whereas Yugoslavia is no longer part of the group, and Peru, a founding member-state, decided to leave the G-15 in 2011. Membership thus has since expanded to 17 countries, but the forum's name remains unchanged.[3]

Group of 15
FormationSeptember 1989
1990 (Summit)
PurposeAct as a catalyst for greater cooperation between leading developing countries.[2]
Location
Membership
G-15 Chair
 IRN
Websitewww.g15.org

Structure and activities edit

Some of the objectives of the G-15 are:

  • To harness the considerable potential for greater and mutually beneficial cooperation among developing countries
  • To conduct a regular review of the impact of the world situation and of the state of international economic relations on developing countries
  • To serve as a forum for regular consultations among developing countries with a view to coordinate policies and actions
  • To identify and implement new and concrete schemes for South-South cooperation and mobilize wider support for them
  • To pursue a more positive and productive North-South dialogue and to find new ways of dealing with problems in a cooperative, constructive and mutually supportive manner.[4]

By design, the G-15 has avoided establishing an administrative structure like those for international organizations, such as the United Nations or the World Bank; but the G-15 does have a Technical Support Facility (TSF) located in Geneva. The TSF functions under the direction of the Chairman for the current year. The TSF provides necessary support for the activities of the G-15 and for its objectives.[5] Other organs and functions of the G-15 include:

  • Summit of heads of state and government: The G-15's summit is organized biennially, with the venue being rotated among the three developing regions of the G-15 membership.[5]
  • Annual meetings of Ministers of Foreign Affairs: G-15 Ministers of Foreign Affairs typically meet once a year to coordinate group activities and to prepare for the nest summit of G-15 leaders.[5]
  • Steering committee (Troika): A steering committee, or Troika, is composed of three foreign ministers, one from the preceding summit host country, the present host country and the anticipated next host countries. These three are responsible for oversight and coordination.[5]
  • Personal representatives of heads of state and government: Each member country is represented by personal representatives of heads of state and government who meet regularly in Geneva.[5]

In addition, the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Services (FCCIS) is a private sector forum of G-15 member countries. The purpose of the FCCIS is to coordinate and maximize efforts which promote business, economic development and joint investment in G-15 nations.[5]

In 2010, the chairmanship of the G-15 was accepted by Sri Lanka at the conclusion of the 14th G-15 summit in Tehran.[6]

Member countries and organizations edit

World Economic Outlook database (2012)[7]

Region Member Leader Foreign minister Population GDP (PPP, billion USD) GDP per capita (PPP, USD)
Africa   Algeria President Abdelmadjid Tebboune Minister of Foreign Affairs Ramtane Lamamra 45,295,169 263.7 7,333
  Egypt President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry 111,929,759 519.0 6,539.8
  Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta Minister of Foreign Affairs Raychelle Omamo 54,606,493 71.4 1,746
  Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama 221,405,575 1109 6,204
  Senegal President Macky Sall Minister of Foreign Affairs Aïssata Tall Sall 17,557,531 25.2 1,871
  Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa Minister of Foreign Affairs Frederick Shava 16,505,473 6.1 487
Asia   India Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi Ministry of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar 1,422,652,968 10257.8 7333
  Indonesia President Joko Widodo Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi 276,495,976 1124.6 10,585.4
  Iran President Ebrahim Raisi Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian 88,875,750 990.2 13,053
  Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim Minister of Foreign Affairs Zambry Abdul Kadir 34,124,881 447.3 15,568
  Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickramasinghe Minister of External Affairs Ali Subry 21,867,876 116.5 5,674
Latin America and the Caribbean   Argentina President Alberto Fernández Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship Santiago Cafiero 45,643,940 816.4 17,516
  Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauro Vieira 215,861,260 3294.2 11,769
  Chile President Gabriel Boric Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto van Klaveren 19,616,738 299.6 17,222
  Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson-Smith 2,825,544 24.8 9,029
  Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador Secretary of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard 128,028,612 2999.6 14,610
  Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Arreaza 28,582,898 374.1 12,568

G-15 Summits edit

Date Host country Host city Host
1st G-15 summit 1–3 June 1990 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Mahathir Mohamad
2nd G-15 summit 27–29 November 1991 Venezuela Caracas Carlos Andrés Pérez
3rd G-15 summit 21–23 November 1992 Senegal Dakar Abdou Diouf
4th G-15 summit 1994 India New Delhi P. V. Narasimha Rao
5th G-15 summit 5–7 November 1995 Argentina Buenos Aires Carlos Menem
6th G-15 summit 3–5 November 1996 Zimbabwe Harare Robert Mugabe
7th G-15 summit 28 October – 5 November 1997 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Mahathir Mohamad
8th G-15 summit 11–13 May 1998 Egypt Cairo Hosni Mubarak
9th G-15 summit 10–12 February 1999 Jamaica Montego Bay P. J. Patterson
10th G-15 summit 19–20 June 2000 Egypt Cairo Hosni Mubarak
11th G-15 summit 30–31 May 2001 Indonesia Jakarta Abdurrahman Wahid
12th G-15 summit 27–28 February 2004 Venezuela Caracas Hugo Chávez
13th G-15 summit 14 September 2006 Cuba Havana Raúl Castro
14th G-15 summit 17 May 2010 Iran Tehran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
15th G-15 summit 2012 Sri Lanka Colombo Mahinda Rajapaksa

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b The official website Archived 2017-09-12 at the Wayback Machine adopts the "G-15" orthography (with a hyphen) in order to distinguish an abbreviated reference to this group -- contrasts with other similarly named entities.
  2. ^ "Aims and Objectives" Archived 2010-04-29 at the Wayback Machine, G-15 website
  3. ^ G15 members Archived 2012-04-24 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Aims and Objectives" Archived 2010-04-29 at the Wayback Machine G-15 website
  5. ^ a b c d e f "About the G-15". Archived from the original on 2010-04-29. Retrieved 2010-06-08.
  6. ^ Prematillake, Tharindu. "Lanka Heads Powerful G-15 Serving Collective Interests" Archived 2010-05-28 at the Wayback Machine. The Nation (Colombo). May 22, 2010.
  7. ^ "World Economic Outlook Database, April 2012". IMF.

Further reading edit

  • Haas, P.M. (1992). "Introduction. Epistemic communities and international policy coordination", International Organization 46,1:1-35. ISSN 0020-8183, E-ISSN 1531-5088
  • Bob Reinalda and Bertjan Verbeek. (1998). Autonomous Policy Making by International Organizations London: Routledge. ISBN 9780415164863; ISBN 978-0-203-45085-7; OCLC 39013643

External links edit

  • G-15 official website
  • IMF