The Think 20 (T20) is one of the official engagement groups of the G20. It is composed of think tanks and research centres or institutes. Initially, it included only organisations from G20 countries and throughout the years, it has evolved to include organisations form guest countries and the international sphere.
Other official engagement groups include Business 20, Civil 20, Labour 20, Women 20, Science 20 and Youth 20.
The T20 was inspired and motivated by the need to provide research-based policy recommendations to the G20 leaders, fostering a more inclusive and evidence-driven approach to global economic governance. Its establishment reflected the recognition of the critical role that research and evidence-based policymaking play in addressing global challenges and shaping a more sustainable future.
It was founded in 2012 during the Mexican Presidency of the G20, inspired by existing spaces such as Y20. Ever since then, thirteen editions of the T20 have been hosted all over the world. Its structure, model and specific activities have changed and innovated, but their overall goal remains the same.
Motivations
Throughout its history, the main motivations behind the establishment of the T20 include:
- Enhancing policy dialogue and coordination: The T20 aims to bridge the gap between policymakers and the research community, ensuring that G20 decisions are informed by comprehensive, evidence-based research. This enhances the quality and effectiveness of policy decisions at the G20 level.
- Addressing global challenges collaboratively: The complexity of global challenges such as climate change, economic inequality, digital transformation, and global health necessitates a coordinated and collaborative approach. The T20 serves as a platform for think tanks and research institutions worldwide to collaborate and contribute to solving these pressing issues.
- Influencing G20 agendas and outcomes:By providing well-researched policy recommendations, the T20 seeks to influence the agendas and outcomes of G20 summits. This helps ensure that the G20’s decisions are aligned with the latest research and best practices, promoting more effective and sustainable solutions.
- Promoting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):The T20 supports the G20’s commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emphasizing policies that promote sustainable and inclusive growth, reduce poverty, and protect the environment. This aligns with the broader global agenda of achieving the SDGs by 2030.
- Fostering inclusive global governance: The T20 promotes a more inclusive approach to global governance by incorporating diverse perspectives from various think tanks and research institutions worldwide. This inclusivity helps ensure that the voices of different regions and stakeholders are considered in G20 policymaking.
Approaches and innovations
Over the years, the T20 has adopted different models. From a single process to discuss and develop recommendations on a smaller set of policy priorities, to an increasingly larger group of task forces focused on specific issues; from a small group of primarily foreign affairs think tanks to a much larger and diverse set of participants – even from non-G20 countries and university-based think tanks; and from in person to virtual processes; among others.
At times, T2o hosts have introduced innovations to the process. For instance, the T20 Germany (2017) introduced issue specific task forces to work on policy recommendations; the T20 Brazil (2024) introduced an effort to translate the recommendations into implementation roadmaps to support their adoption and delivery. And the T20 Argentina (2018) and the T20 in China (2016) made an effort to incorporate the view and promote the participation of non-G20 member think tanks; particularly from across their own region in the case of Argentina.