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"The needs of the poorest were an afterthought. Despite the anger of many on the streets at the growing divide between the rich and poor, the G20 could only muster a tepid set of policies to tackle poverty and inequality," said Steve Price-Thomas, Oxfam’s director of advocacy and campaigns.

This G20 summit delivers a vital pick-me-up for poor countries struggling to survive the economic crisis but much more is needed to ensure their long-term recovery.

Oxfam policy experts analyzed the G20 Leader's Declaration presented at the end of the 2017 Hamburg G20. This is our annotated version of the communique, specifically looking at our priority areas of inequality, climate change, the "Four Famines" crises, and more. 

Reacting to the draft G20 communiqué circulating on Monday 17th, Oxfam spokesperson Carlos Zarco said:

Responding to the publication of the G20 Leaders’ communiqué, Oxfam Brazil’s Executive Director Viviana Santiago said: “We applaud Brazil for using their G20 Presidency to respond to people’s demands worldwide to tackle extreme inequality, hunger and climate breakdown, and particularly for rallying action on taxing the super-rich. Brazil has lit a path toward a more just and resilient world, challenging others to meet them at this critical juncture.” 

Given the tremendous financing needs, Oxfam supports a strong IDA20 replenishment. We are calling for a robust policy package that is appropriately ambitious for the next three years, aimed at propelling IDA countries forward towards a just economy after COVID-19 that is more equal and inclusive.

About Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) and innovative financing for development  

While the G20 have put their first nail in the coffin of corporate tax dodging, they squandered this chance to make progress towards a political solution to the Syria crisis, and have failed entirely to confront the growing problem of income inequality.

With the UN Rio+20 talks effectively at a stalemate, Oxfam today calls on the Brazilian government to provide the leadership that is so urgently needed to rescue the Rio 92 Earth Summit legacy, and chart a path toward equitable and sustainable development.

In response to the communiqué published following the Fourth G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting, Oxfam International’s Tax Policy Lead, Susana Ruiz, said: “The G20 Finance Ministers are advancing toward fairly taxing the ultra-rich worldwide. Far from a blip, today’s G20 Ministerial reflects an emergent shift in consensus from the world’s largest economies to reduce extreme inequality by ensuring the ultra-rich pay their fair share. While we need G20 leaders to ratify this commitment at the Rio Summit in November and lay out steps for its implementation, let’s make no mistake: finance leaders have hit a new historic milestone."