The first Development Working Group Meeting opened in Moscow. Ksenia Yudaeva, Chief of the Presidential Experts' Directorate and the Russian G20 Sherpa addressed the delegates with welcoming remarks.
"The role of the G20 in boosting development around the world is difficult to over-estimate. There are several reasons for that. First the G20 is the unique combination of developed countries and emerging economies. Many G20 members in recent decades have made significant progress and reached higher level of development. Therefore the G20 has a unique collective knowledge in designing and implementing of development assistance programs," - Yudaeva remarked.
"Russia took over the Presidency in the G20 in a very interesting moment when from the one hand risks to the global economy have receded and market conditions have improved, however important risks remain and global growth is still too weak, with unemployment remaining unacceptably high in many countries," - Russian Sherpa noted.
"We encourage Development Working Group to work closely with civil society and consider their recommendations. At the end it is NGOs and community based organizations that work in this field and implement development assistance programs," - Russian Sherpa concluded.