The South Korean government will invite five non-G20 member countries to the upcoming G20 Seoul Summit in a bid to enhance its effectiveness and representativeness, the summit organizer said Friday.
According to the Presidential Committee for the G20 Summit, it has sent invitations to leaders of Vietnam, Singapore, Malawi, Ethiopia and Spain to participate the Seoul Summit which is slated for Nov. 11-12.
Among the five countries, Malawi, the Chair of the African Union, and Ethiopia, the Chair of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), have been selected to strengthen the representation of the African region at the Seoul Summit.
Vietnam, the Chair of ASEAN, and Singapore, Chair of the Global Governance Group (3G), were invited to reflect the opinions of non- member countries, in light of the fact that the Seoul Summit will be the first G20 Summit to be held in Asia, the committee said.
Also, Spain will be present at the Seoul Summit as one of the ten largest economies in the world and a participant in the past four G20 Summits, according to the organizer.
The decision came in accordance with principles agreed upon by the G20 Sherpa to whom are endowed rights to regulate and arrange agendas for the summit, the committee said.
In addition to the five countries, seven international organizations are added to the invitation list.
The organizations include the United Nations (UN), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Bank (WB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the World Trade Organization ( WTO), and the Financial Stability Board (FSB).
South Korea is gearing up for the November Summit, right before with the country will also host a ministerial level meeting among G20 finance ministers and central bank governors as well.