Getting Ready for Osaka 2019
As the 2019 Model G20 Summit begins, we are incredibly excited to simulate the Japanese Presidency. Since Model G20 was founded less than three years ago, the summit has grown immensely in size, both in terms of staff and delegations. This year's delegations come from 16 different universities and companies around the country and the world. In terms of staff, the number of policy and logistical staff has grown from 6 at the first Model G20 Summit in 2017 to 30 in 2019. Staff members hail from 16 states and 8 countries and represent each of the schools within American University. A total of 22 languages are also spoken between the 30 logistical and policy staff members. This diversity in backgrounds and educational focus contributes to a wide variety of new ideas and expertise that have immensely helped the development of this year’s simulation of the Osaka G20 Summit.
The size isn't the only part of Model G20 that has grown. This year, press conferences, as well as a third track in addition to the sherpa and financial tracks, have been added to the summit programming. The new Head of Delegation track will center around each person leading their delegations at the summit. They will begin the weekend with an in-depth conversation on the state of multilateralism and the role of the G20 in this system. Heads will also participate as liaisons for their delegations in both the Finance and Sherpa tracks, advising representatives, listening in on discussions, and providing key insights. The goal of this is to ensure greater unity within each delegation and prevent a disconnect between members in different tracks. Heads of Delegations are also tasked with serving a spokesperson for their delegation, a job which entails speaking at the Sunday morning Leader’s Summit, as well as participating in press conferences and coalition meetings throughout the weekend.
As 2019 has been an incredibly eventful, and without a doubt, historical year, it was difficult to decide on debate topics to be discussed in each track. In the end, it was decided that the Finance Track topics would be International Taxation and Digitization, Rising Debt, and the Future of Trade and WTO Reform and that the Sherpa Track topics would be Global Health Threats, Inequality, Employment and Aging, and Climate Change and Disaster Risk. While the topics seem big and intimidating at first glance, they, in reality, are merely a few of the tough real-world problems that G20 nations, leaders, and representatives face and must confront in today’s world.
Beginning October 11, we hope that delegations give their all, both inside and outside the negotiation room, providing arguments and collaborations in order to develop a strong communique. American University’s Model G20 Summit remains the only simulation of its kind, serving as an accurate play-by-play of the G20 itself and also as a way to educate students and young professionals in the seemingly tangled and intimidating sphere of international collaboration and diplomacy in hopes of producing a new generation of change-makers, leaders, and diplomats.