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

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]

Structure and activities

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

World Economic Outlook database (2012)[7]

RegionMemberLeaderForeign ministerPopulationGDP (PPP, billion USD)GDP per capita (PPP, USD)
Africa AlgeriaPresidentAbdelmadjid TebbouneMinister of Foreign AffairsRamtane Lamamra45,295,169263.77,333
 EgyptPresidentAbdel Fattah el-SisiMinister of Foreign AffairsSameh Shoukry111,929,759519.06,539.8
 KenyaPresidentUhuru KenyattaMinister of Foreign AffairsRaychelle Omamo54,606,49371.41,746
 NigeriaPresidentMuhammadu BuhariMinister of Foreign AffairsGeoffrey Onyeama221,405,57511096,204
 SenegalPresidentMacky SallMinister of Foreign AffairsAïssata Tall Sall17,557,53125.21,871
 ZimbabwePresidentEmmerson MnangagwaMinister of Foreign AffairsFrederick Shava16,505,4736.1487
Asia IndiaPrime Minister of IndiaNarendra ModiMinistry of External AffairsSubrahmanyam Jaishankar1,422,652,96810257.87333
 IndonesiaPresidentJoko WidodoMinister of Foreign AffairsRetno Marsudi276,495,9761124.610,585.4
 IranPresidentMohammad MokhberMinister of Foreign AffairsTo be decided88,875,750990.213,053
 MalaysiaPrime MinisterAnwar IbrahimMinister of Foreign AffairsZambry Abdul Kadir34,124,881447.315,568
 Sri LankaPresidentRanil WickramasingheMinister of External AffairsAli Subry21,867,876116.55,674
Latin America and the Caribbean ArgentinaPresidentAlberto FernándezMinistry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and WorshipSantiago Cafiero45,643,940816.417,516
 BrazilPresidentLuiz Inácio Lula da SilvaMinister of Foreign AffairsMauro Vieira215,861,2603294.211,769
 ChilePresidentGabriel BoricMinister of Foreign AffairsAlberto van Klaveren19,616,738299.617,222
 JamaicaPrime MinisterAndrew HolnessMinister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign TradeKamina Johnson-Smith2,825,54424.89,029
 MexicoPresidentAndrés Manuel López ObradorSecretary of Foreign AffairsMarcelo Ebrard128,028,6122999.614,610
 VenezuelaPresidentNicolás MaduroMinister of Foreign AffairsJorge Arreaza28,582,898374.112,568

G-15 Summits

DateHost countryHost cityHost
1st G-15 summit1–3 June 1990MalaysiaKuala LumpurMahathir Mohamad
2nd G-15 summit27–29 November 1991VenezuelaCaracasCarlos Andrés Pérez
3rd G-15 summit21–23 November 1992SenegalDakarAbdou Diouf
4th G-15 summit1994IndiaNew DelhiP. V. Narasimha Rao
5th G-15 summit5–7 November 1995ArgentinaBuenos AiresCarlos Menem
6th G-15 summit3–5 November 1996ZimbabweHarareRobert Mugabe
7th G-15 summit28 October – 5 November 1997MalaysiaKuala LumpurMahathir Mohamad
8th G-15 summit11–13 May 1998EgyptCairoHosni Mubarak
9th G-15 summit10–12 February 1999JamaicaMontego BayP. J. Patterson
10th G-15 summit19–20 June 2000EgyptCairoHosni Mubarak
11th G-15 summit30–31 May 2001IndonesiaJakartaAbdurrahman Wahid
12th G-15 summit27–28 February 2004VenezuelaCaracasHugo Chávez
13th G-15 summit14 September 2006CubaHavanaRaúl Castro
14th G-15 summit17 May 2010IranTehranMahmoud Ahmadinejad
15th G-15 summit2012Sri LankaColomboMahinda Rajapaksa

See also

References

  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

  • 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
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