MANY international organizations have been created from time to time in response to certain political and economic developments or other pressing issues which require close coordination among countries. These global organizations were created to serve the mutual interests of their members. Perhaps, the most well-known is the Group of Twenty (G-20), formed by eight big industrial nations — Japan, the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Russia, Germany and Italy. The G-8 met in Washington in 1999 to create a larger group comprising the eight original members plus 12 other important countries around the world. The 12 countries were chosen based on their economic status and their representation of a region. The countries are China, India, South Korea, Australia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Turkey, Indonesia, and the European Union. Apart from these countries, several international organizations also joined the group, the most important of which are the European Parliament, European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This is an international forum which aims to support economic cooperation among large countries and boost global financial stability. Dialogues are held between industrial countries and developing countries with the aim of providing sustainable development around the world, keeping economies from falling into stagnation and overcoming economic crises. The G-20 represents 65.2 percent of the world's population and two-thirds of global trade and owns 90 percent of the world's raw materials. It holds a summit every two years in which each country is represented by its head of state. The last summit was held in Toronto, Canada, in June 2010. Aside from the summits, the group also holds meetings for financial and foreign affairs ministers and for the heads of parliaments of member countries. So far, two conferences for parliamentary heads have been held, one in Canada and the other in South Korea. The third meeting for the G-20 heads of parliaments will be held in Riyadh for two days, starting on February 24. The meeting, organized by the Saudi Shoura Council, will be called “Sustainable Development for a Secure World”. The most important issues to be discussed at the two-day meeting are the importance of global dialogue among cultures, energy for sustainable development, and the financial crisis and its ramifications on global stability. This is one of the most important conferences to be held in the Kingdom. The fact that the Kingdom is a member of the G-20 is an international recognition of the prominent role it plays in the world. The Kingdom's status as a major player not only in the region but also in the world stems from its great natural and human resources as well as its moderate and wise development policies, which take into consideration the interests of its citizens and the world. The Kingdom's membership in the G-20 brings a lot of benefits to our country and the Arab world. The Kingdom stands side by side with other superpowers to draw up and carry out financial and economic policies which will bring benefits to humanity. (Dr. Sadaka Y. Fadhel is a Member of the Shoura Council and Professor of Political Science) __
