Multilateralism and Global Governance G20 2020 Joining forces: Reviving multilateralism through multi-stakeholder cooperation Ronja Scheler , Hugo Dobson November 24, 2020 | Last updated: December 10, 2020 Tags: Multilateralism The Group of 20 (G20) has a proven record of multi-stakeholder engagement, exem plified by groups such as the Business 20 (B20), Civil Society 20 (C20), and Think 20 (T20). However, the evolution of this engagement has been ad hoc, the scope limited, the impact inchoate, and the results inconsistent. This brief calls for a systematic reconsideration and expansion of the G20’s multi-stakeholder engagement, first by an audit of existing structures. In addition, a “light-touch” secretariat should be established to better coordinate state and non-state actors. This way, both the legitimacy and effectiveness of the G20 could be increased. Challenge Multilateralism is suffering. While transnational challenges like climate change, digitalization, and migration exceed individual states’ capacity to tackle them, protectionism and nationalism have experienced an upsurge in many of the world’s regions. At the same time, the US, a long-term supporter of free trade and global security, is in retreat, and its president has become a “disrupter-in-chief.” This was demonstrated at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when the Trump administration suspended its funding of the World Health Organization. The somewhat paradoxical result of the aforementioned trends is that we are witnessing a growing global governance gap at a time when collective action is needed the most. This was the case even before the COVID-19 pandemic and has only been exacerbated as a result. As if in a downward spiral, the inability of the international community to deliver on many of the world’s most pressing issues has led many citizens to lose trust in international organizations and governments alike. In the interconnected world of the 21st century, when strong multilateralism benefits everyone from governments to non-state actors and citizens, it is high time for multilateral cooperation to take the forefront again. Multilateral formats need to be revived to tackle the challenges that citizens are confronted with. This policy brief outlines one possible route. It focuses on the potential for the G20 to partner with non-state actors like civil society organizations (CSOs) or private companies to address global challenges collectively, make global governance more effective, and bolster the G20’s legitimacy. Multi-stakeholder initiatives, or other formats in which state and non-state actors co operate, have long formed part of global governance discourse and action. In fact, engagement with these initiatives has been a part of the G20’s framework since it was upgraded from the ministerial to leaders’ level in 2008. It is now institutionalized in the form of “engagement groups,” defined as “independent collectives that are led by organizations from the host country [and which] work with other organizations from G20 countries to develop policy recommendations that are formally submitted to G20 leaders for consideration” (G20 n.d.). When combined with one of its other core strengths—its flexible and non-bureaucratic format—the G20 is in a strong position to reflect upon, develop, and enhance its engagement with non-state actors. The goal here should be increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of multilateral cooperation at a time when global challenges are too onerous to be carried by states alone.