July 3, 2018

Presentation of the "The G20 Agenda during the 2018 Argentine Presidency" document, led by Alfredo Gutiérrez Girault, José Siaba Serrate and Ignacio Peña, with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Argentina

Written by Julia Carro

The event was kicked off by Adalberto Rodríguez Giavarini, President of the Argentine Council of International Relations (CARI). After thanking the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the work of the experts who had participated in the making of the document that was being presented, Giavarini talked about the G20 initiative as a valuable platform to debate global challenges. He emphasized the role of non-state actors such as think tanks, civil society organizations and NGOs who were of key importance during the T20. Lastly, he stressed the importance of the Argentine Presidency of the G20, mainly because the event would give the country an opportunity to be once again at the forefront of international relations as a responsible actor. After this short introduction, Olaf Jacob, a representative from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, took the floor to express his gratitude for the joint collaboration between CARI and his foundation to organize events that bring academia closer to policy.

The first speaker was Ignacio Peña, an economist and international consultant who tackled the topic of inclusion in the era of the "technological tsunami". He started his presentation by explaining how technological advances may have negative effects on society. For instance, the increase in labor automation raises unemployment rates and decreases the quality of employment. In order to deal with this type of issues, Peña suggested that technological innovation be targeted towards helping those in the most vulnerable economic situations. This could be done by using the power of innovation to address the most basic needs of those who are not in a favorable social condition. He also called for an "educational revolution" and suggested the possibility of creating an I20, a forum where different organizations may discuss the problematic of inclusion from a global perspective. Lastly, he entertained the idea of forming "Inclusion Corps" and delineating a socially aware tax system where governments reward the social impact of enterprises.

The second person to take the floor was Alfredo Gutiérrez Girault, Chief Economist of the Argentine Institute of Executive Finances (IAEF). Gutiérrez Girault made a brief summary of the world´s economic recovery after the 2008 crisis and presented the hopeful statistics that showed improvement in various financial areas. He also provided a quick overview of the current global economic situation, which shows new challenges characterized by commercial conflicts, tariff wars and a strong devaluation of the currencies of emerging countries. Gutiérrez Girault argued that technological advances need to be met with key changes in the education world, as students need to be prepared for the new challenges of a globalized reality.

Finally, José Siaba Serrate, director of the Siaba Serrate consulting company, analyzed the main challenges faced by emerging countries in the context of a changing economic policy led by the current American President, Donald Trump. When reviewing the role of the G20 in the economic realm, Siaba argued that the event is at an important crossroads because it represents multilateralism at a time when the rise of populist tendencies and anti-system political parties seem to be taking the world in the opposite direction. He finished his remarks by providing a detailed analysis of the current economic situation in Argentina and explaining how the uncertainty over American trade policies impacts investments and the level of trust in developing countries.

Ignacio PeñaEconomist, International Consultant, Founder and CEO of Surfing Tsunamis

Alfredo Gutiérrez GiraultChief Economist of the Argentine Institute of Executive Finances (IAEF). Consultant member of CARI

José Siaba SerrateDirector of the consulting company Siaba Serrate. Full member of the Academy of Capital Markets. Advisory member of CARI