For the first time in the almost 20-year history of the G20, a meeting of digital ministers took place on April 6 and 7, 2017. Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Brigitte Zypries invited the ministers for digitalization from the G20 countries, international organizations such as the OECD, WTO and UNCTAD as well as the host countries the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore and Spain to Düsseldorf. The theme of the meeting was “Digitalization: Policies for a Digital Future”.
Federal Economics Minister Zypries on 7 April: “All countries have very much welcomed the German initiative to make digitalization a G20 topic. The G20 group, which represents two thirds of the world’s population and 90% of global GDP, discussed the topic of digitalization for the first time. We succeeded in developing a common understanding of which areas of action in global digitalization need to be discussed and jointly advanced in the coming years. The resolutions on the work program (roadmap) and the agreement to build on this during Argentina’s subsequent G20 presidency are a great success. We have defined 11 clear areas of action in the roadmap and agreed to create fast internet for all by 2025. With the agreed principles on trade, we have succeeded in strengthening open markets and multilateral cooperation in the most important industrialized nations, thereby contributing to a fair trading system. This G20 Digital Ministerial Conference sends the signal that we want to shape the digital revolution together for the benefit of all.”
At the end of the ministerial meeting, the G20 digital ministers adopted the joint declaration “Shaping Digitalization for an Interconnected World” and a roadmap with 11 clear fields of action for the further work of the G20.
Important topics here are, above all, fast internet for all by 2025, inclusive growth and more employment through digital trade, agreement on the definition of common and open international technical standards, the commitment to lifelong digital education and the goal of overcoming the digital gender gap.
(Explanation: http://www.bmwi.de/Redaktion/DE/Downloads/G/g20-digital-economy-ministerial-declaration-deutschsprachige-botschaften.html)