King Abdullah and US President George W. Bush at the G20 meeting in Washington. AFP
King Abdullah and US President George W. Bush at the G20 meeting in Washington. AFP

2008 - Saudi Arabia takes its place among the G20

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Updated 19 April 2025
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2008 - Saudi Arabia takes its place among the G20

2008 - Saudi Arabia takes its place among the G20
  • The Kingdom took on key leadership role in the international efforts to tackle the global financial crisis of 2008 

JEDDAH: On Nov. 14, 2008, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah attended the first meeting of the leaders of the G20, hosted by US President George W. Bush in Washington, D.C. The King’s presence showcased his country’s position as one of the top 20 economies in the world. 

The establishment of the G20 was initiated in 1999 during a forum in the German city of Cologne attended by the finance ministers and central bank governors of the original G7 nations: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. 

In response to a financial imbalance arising from the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the attendees discussed the introduction of a summit that included more members of the global community, specifically 10 industrial countries and 10 emerging market economies. 

The founding of the group was primarily an initiative of the German finance minister, Hans Eichel. The G20’s finance ministers subsequently convened each year to discuss international economic policy issues and promote international financial stability. 

At the behest of US President George W. Bush’s administration, the annual meeting of G20 finance ministers was elevated to the level of leaders in 2008. This was a response to a call for more-immediate action by heads of state following the collapse of global stock markets that year. 

How we wrote it




Arab News highlighted King Abdullah’s call for “tougher regulations” and Arab coordination to mitigate the financial crisis.

And so the G20 leaders assembled in Washington in November for their first high-level summit, which gave Saudi Arabia a chance to demonstrate its potential for global leadership and showcase its economic significance. 

During my first semester as a student studying for a master’s degree in public health in Europe in 2008, I kept apace with all news related to the Kingdom and followed the inaugural G20 Summit with great interest, as it was a chance for the leader of my nation to demonstrate to the international community its commitment to its partners and the world. 

As a young Saudi, I lived through some of the early reforms introduced by King Abdullah after he became ruler in 2005. I was a witness to the economic boom resulting from these reforms, including the development of the Kingdom’s infrastructure. 

These developments also included sending thousands of students around the world to attend top-tier universities through the King Abdullah Scholarship Program, the largest of its kind in the history of the Kingdom and one I was proud to be a part of. 

In 2019, now an Arab News reporter, I traveled to Tokyo to report from the annual T20 (Think 20) Summit, one of the G20’s engagement groups. To fully understand the G20, you have to understand the T20. It is the intellectual backbone that connects the policy recommendations, called Task Forces, of successive G20 presidencies. Topics for discussion at T20 summits include trade, climate change, terrorism and gender equality. 

During the summit I met the heads of Saudi think tanks and researchers from the Kingdom, who told me about their proposals, many of which would be adopted the following year when Saudi Arabia held the presidency of the G20. 

The proposed Task Forces are selected carefully in what the head of the Saudi T20 delegation, Fahad Al-Turki, described as “a collective effort to ensure continuity” and avoid breaking a cycle that began in 2012 when the T20 engagement group was established. 

 

Key Dates

  • 1

    The Group of 20 is founded after the Asian financial crisis as a forum for the finance ministers and central bank governors of 19 countries plus the EU.

  • 2

    Hosted by US President George W. Bush, leaders of the G20 members meet in Washington, D.C. amid the global stock market collapse. Saudi delegation is led by King Abdullah.

    Timeline Image Nov. 14-15, 2008

  • 3

    First meeting of the Saudi Arabia-China High-Level Joint Committee; participants include Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Xi Jinping, who were attending the G20 Summit in Hangzhou.

    Timeline Image Aug. 31, 2016

  • 4

    Final communique of G20 summit in Hamburg announces the 2020 summit will take place in Saudi Arabia for first time.

    Timeline Image July 8, 2017

  • 5

    Saudi Arabia assumes presidency of the G20 for 2020, taking over from Japan.

    Timeline Image Dec. 1, 2019

  • 6

    In the face of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, plans to stage 15th meeting of the G20 in Riyadh are abandoned. King Salman instead hosts an extraordinary virtual summit that promotes a coordinated set of policies to protect peoples and safeguard the global economy.

    Timeline Image March 26, 2020

For two days I read reports; I spoke to the heads of research centers from my home country and from Japan, Argentina and the US; I sat through sessions open to the public; and I read the final communique of the summit. I now know more. 

The G20 is not simply a gathering of leaders: It is a village of ministers, heads of agencies, researchers, economists, mayors, scientists and community leaders that has developed important policies to provide more control over their own economies while also assisting economies that are poorer and facing challenges. 

Back in 2008, the world leaders sat for two days behind closed doors in Washington discussing financial market woes and ways to help economies bounce back. At the conclusion of the talks, they gathered for the first ever G20 “family portrait.” 

In the Nov. 16 edition of Arab News that year, it was reported that King Abdullah had called for greater international cooperation and coordination to offset the effects of the financial crisis. He emphasized “the need to develop effective monitoring systems” and called on the International Monetary Fund to play a greater role in supervising financial sectors in developed countries. 

His speech came at a time when the Kingdom was going through a period of economic reforms designed to modernize its business environment, later bolstered by the launch of Vision 2030. Fast forward to 2022 and 2023, Saudi Arabia’s GDP achieved the highest growth rate among the G20 countries, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s “Global Economic Prospects” report. 

This growth in the Saudi economy has led to its classification among the best emerging economies in the world, alongside China, India and Turkiye.  

King Abdullah also pledged that Saudi Arabia would provide assistance to developing countries “exceeding the percentage established by the UN for assistance from industrial countries.” The adoption of this role of benefactor was something the Kingdom had been doing for years, even before joining the G20. 

The significance of Saudi Arabia’s participation at the first G20 leaders’ summit was that it not only highlighted the country’s role in global markets, but also demonstrated its willingness to be a voice for the region and the wider developing world. 




The first G20 leaders’ “family portrait.” AFP

To help ensure the G20’s regional balance over time, a different member state assumes the presidency of the group each year based on a system designed to reflect its nature as an informal political forum. On Dec. 1, 2019, a little over a decade after that first meeting in Washington, Saudi Arabia took over the presidency for 2020 and prepared to host the group’s 15th summit. 

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of plans to stage the annual meeting in Riyadh. However, Saudi Arabia responded to the situation with imagination and technical and organizational flair. 

On March 26, 2020, King Salman presided over an extraordinary virtual summit at which world leaders, connected through video-conferencing software, planned a coordinated global response to the pandemic. 

The Saudi presidency included another G20 first: the inaugural meeting of the group’s ministers of culture. In the words of a later analysis by UNESCO, the unprecedented economic and social disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic “had starkly exposed the vulnerability of the culture sector, while also bringing to light its critical contribution to the global economy, and to the resilience, well-being and prosperity of societies. 

“Under these unique circumstances, Saudi Arabia successfully campaigned for culture to be added as a distinct track at the G20, thus laying the foundation for an effective cooperation among G20 members to accelerate the recovery of the cultural sector from the repercussions of the pandemic, and to enhance the collective commitment to strengthening culture as a driver for sustainable development, resilience and prosperity of societies.”

  • Rawan Radwan, who was regional correspondent for Arab News in 2019 and 2020, based in Jeddah, reported from the T20 (Think 20) Tokyo Summit. 


UN says ‘deeply troubled’ by Kenya protest killings

UN says ‘deeply troubled’ by Kenya protest killings
Updated 1 min 34 sec ago
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UN says ‘deeply troubled’ by Kenya protest killings

UN says ‘deeply troubled’ by Kenya protest killings
GENEVA: The United Nations on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the deaths of at least 10 people in Kenya where police and protesters clashed during anti-government demonstrations the previous day.
The violence erupted on Saba Saba Day (meaning Seven Seven) when demonstrators annually mark the events of July 7, 1990 when Kenyans rose up to demand a return to multi-party democracy after years of autocratic rule by then-president Daniel arap Moi.
“We are deeply troubled by the killings yesterday of at least 10 people, as well as looting and destruction of property in Kenya,” UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.
She said that “lethal ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons were used” as police responded to the protests.
She highlighted that Kenyan police had reported that at least 11 people were killed, 52 police officers injured and 567 arrests made.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights meanwhile reported at least 10 deaths, 29 injuries, 37 arrests and two abductions, she added.
“We have also received reports of looting and damage to public and private property by unidentified individuals in multiple locations.”
Shamdasani said the violence came “barely two weeks after 15 protesters were reportedly killed and many more injured in Nairobi and other parts of Kenya on 25 June.”
UN rights chief Volker Turk renews “his call for calm and restrain, and full respect for the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly,” she said.
“It is essential that legitimate grievances at the root of these protests are addressed,” the spokeswoman said.
The UN rights office noted that Kenyan police had announced an investigation into earlier incidents.
Shamdasani stressed that “under international human rights law, intentional lethal force by law enforcement officers, including with firearms, should only be used when strictly necessary to protect life from an imminent threat.”
Turk reiterates “his call for all reported killings and other alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law, including with respect to use of force, to be promptly, thoroughly, independently and transparently investigated,” she said.
“Those responsible must be held to account.”

Acropolis shuts, outdoor work halted as heatwave scorches Greece

Acropolis shuts, outdoor work halted as heatwave scorches Greece
Updated 20 sec ago
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Acropolis shuts, outdoor work halted as heatwave scorches Greece

Acropolis shuts, outdoor work halted as heatwave scorches Greece
  • To protect outdoor workers, the labor ministry has decreed a work stoppage from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. in various parts of the country, including several islands
  • The Greek culture ministry said the world renowned site would be shut till 5:00 p.m

ATHENS: Greece’s top archaeological monument, the Acropolis, was partially shut Tuesday as part of emergency measures to protect visitors and workers around the country during a four-day heatwave.
The Greek culture ministry said the world-renowned site would be shut till 5:00 p.m. (1400 GMT) “for the safety of workers and visitors, owing to high temperatures.”
The four-day heatwave confirmed by meteorologists began Sunday is the second to grip Greece since late June.
Temperatures are expected to reach 42 Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, with a maximum of 38 Celsius in Athens.
Similar temperatures are expected on Wednesday.
To protect outdoor workers, the labor ministry has decreed a work stoppage from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. in various parts of the country, including several islands.
The stoppage mainly affects construction work and delivery riders.
“Days with a heatwave make my job more difficult,” cycle-riding courier Michalis Keskinidis told AFP.
“We drink a lot of water to protect ourselves from the heat, combined with electrolytes, and take breaks whenever possible,” the 43-year-old said.
The 2,500-year-old Acropolis, built on a rock overlooking the capital that offers little shade, draws tens of thousands of visitors daily.
Last year it recorded some 4.5 million visitors, an increase of over 15 percent compared to 2023.
Officials had been forced to order similar shutdowns in the past two years in heatwave conditions.

The Greek civil protection authority has warned of high fire risk in the greater Athens area, in central Greece and the Peloponnese peninsula.
Greece’s fire department has been dealing with up to 50 fires daily, the head of the Greek fire service officers’ union Constantinos Tsigkas told state TV ERT.
Elsewhere, Serbia’s hydrometeorological service RMHZ warned that weather conditions could fuel more fires, after 620 fires were recorded Monday.
But there are also thunderstorms expected in Serbia’s northern Vojvodina region, as well as in western and central areas.
RHMZ has also warned of the possibility of hail and hurricane-force gusts of wind.
Croatia has already felt the impact of storms since Monday, with several of the country’s regions affected.
Two people were injured and hospitalized in Vinkovci after a storm knocked down a power line on a family house near the eastern town, police said.
The authorities said they had taken dozens of calls over wind-related emergencies including trees blocking roads, damaged roofs and power failures.
On Tuesday, heavy rain and gale-force winds flooded roads, knocked down trees and caused power outages at the Croatian port town of Split, the state-run HRT broadcaster reported.
At the town’s port, a ferry broke its moorings and hit a catamaran and a tourist excursion boat, sinking the latter.
There was similar trouble further north, with storms raging in Hungary and Slovakia.
In Budapest, strong winds damaged roofs, felled trees onto roads and downed power lines on Monday, with the national meteorological service HungaroMet measuring winds up to 137 kilometers (85 miles) per hour locally.
Rail traffic was severely disrupted across Hungary with full restoration of services potentially requiring weeks, according to Construction and Transport Minister Janos Lazar.
In Slovakia, gale-force winds caused power outages and blew off the roof of a block of flats in the eastern town of Gelnica and fallen trees disrupted road and railway transport across the region.
The country’s weather service SHMU has issued a storm warning with heavy rain, wind and hail for Tuesday, mainly for central and eastern Slovakia.


Thousands told to stay home as Spain forest fire rages on

Thousands told to stay home as Spain forest fire rages on
Updated 2 min 8 sec ago
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Thousands told to stay home as Spain forest fire rages on

Thousands told to stay home as Spain forest fire rages on
  • Forest fire stoked by fierce winds has burned more than 2,300 hectares
  • Spain has in recent days sweltered through a heatwave that parched the land and heightened the risk of forest fires

MADRID: Spanish firefighters on Tuesday were battling a forest fire stoked by fierce winds that has burned more than 2,300 hectares (5,680 acres), with authorities urging thousands of residents to stay home.

The Spanish army’s emergency response unit said it had deployed overnight near the northeastern city of Tarragona to assist local authorities.

The blaze has devoured “around 2,377 hectares of land, mostly forest,” countryside rangers in the Catalonia region wrote on X.

The protected Els Ports natural park makes up 30 percent of the affected area, they added.

Firefighters released video footage shot from a helicopter on Monday showing hills enveloped in a cloud of grey and orange smoke stretching into the distance.

Winds of up to 90 kilometers per hour (56 miles per hour) made it harder to extinguish the fire overnight, firefighters said.

The national civil protection authority urged residents in the area to close their doors and windows and stay home, saying that around 18,000 people were affected.

Scientists say human-induced climate change is increasing the intensity, length and frequency of the extreme heat that causes some forest fires.

Spain has in recent days sweltered through a heatwave that parched the land and heightened the risk of forest fires.

National weather agency AEMET said last month was Spain’s hottest June on record and that the frequency of extreme heat had tripled in the past 10 years.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), some 500 fires destroyed 300,000 hectares in Spain in 2022, a record for the continent.

Around 21,000 hectares have burned so far this year.


South Sudan’s president fires army chief after seven months in post

South Sudan’s president fires army chief after seven months in post
Updated 20 min 20 sec ago
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South Sudan’s president fires army chief after seven months in post

South Sudan’s president fires army chief after seven months in post
  • No reason was given for the firing of army chief Paul Nang Majok

NAIROBI: South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has fired the country’s army chief after seven months in the post and named a replacement, according to an announcement on state radio.
No reason was given for the firing of Paul Nang Majok in the announcement late on Monday. Majok had been in the post since December. The announcement said Kiir had appointed Dau Aturjong as the Chief of Defense Forces.
Majok was in charge of the army while fighting raged between the army and the White Army, an ethnic militia largely comprising Nuer youths, triggering the country’s latest political crisis.
“There has been a tradition that when you are appointed, or reassigned there are no reasons (given) for getting appointed and there are no reasons given for getting relieved. It is normal,” said Lul Ruai Koang, South Sudan army spokesperson.
South Sudan has been formally at peace since a 2018 deal ended the five-year conflict responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths, but violence between rival communities flares frequently.
In March, First Vice President Riek Machar was put under house arrest, stirring fears of renewed conflict.
Information Minister Michael Makuei said the arrest was due to Machar contacting his supporters and “agitating them to rebel against the government with the aim of disrupting peace so that elections are not held and South Sudan goes back to war.”
Machar’s party has previously denied government accusations that it backs the White Army, which clashed with the army in the northeastern town of Nasir in March. In May, South Sudan’s army said it had recaptured the town from the White Army.


Kremlin says former minister’s suicide is shocking

Kremlin says former minister’s suicide is shocking
Updated 1 min 41 sec ago
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Kremlin says former minister’s suicide is shocking

Kremlin says former minister’s suicide is shocking

MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Tuesday that the suicide of former Transport Minister Roman Starovoit just hours after his dismissal by President Vladimir Putin was shocking.

Starovoit was found dead in his car outside Moscow with a gunshot wound and the principal hypothesis is that he took his own life, state investigators said on Monday, hours after Putin fired him.

A presidential decree published on Monday gave no reason for the dismissal of Starovoit after barely a year in the job.