LONDON – The Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (GSG) is pleased to announce that it has been appointed partner of B20 Italy, the G20’s official channel for dialogue with the global business community, helping elevate Impact up the global agenda as companies, investors and policymakers come together to discuss initiatives to fuel a fair and sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
The opening B20 summit takes place on January 21-22 virtually and is led by the Italian business confederation Confindustria. Speakers include the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, Italy’s Minister of Economy and Finance Robert Gualtieri, as well as BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Bloomberg founder Michael Bloomberg.
The meeting coincides with the handover of the G20 presidency to Italy from Saudi Arabia and is the first in a number of events that will enable business leaders to discuss hot topics and make recommendations to G20 political leaders when they meet later in 2021 in Rome. The GSG joins the B20 as a partner on the Finance & Infrastructure Taskforce to help the group drive forward its objectives of expanding sustainable infrastructure financing and boosting urban regeneration. The B20 will organise further sessions throughout 2021, culminating in a final Summit on October 7-8.
“The B20 summit comes at a decisive moment as countries seek to put in place measures to rebuild their economies after the COVID-19 crisis. Impact initiatives can play a central role in that process,” says Giovanna Melandri, president of Social Impact Agenda for Italy, the GSG’s National Advisory Board for Italy. “We believe the time is right for governments and investors to join forces on projects with economic and social goals, using new tools such as results-based payments, to drive an impact-led recovery.”
“I am delighted the GSG is taking part in the B20 business forum in Italy and will be able to contribute to the group’s agenda this year,” the GSG’s CEO Cliff Prior added. “The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on deep-seated structural inequalities in the global economy. Working with the B20, we are determined to do everything we can to achieve a just and sustainable recovery for all people and our planet.”