Pittsburgh, USA is preparing to host the next G-20 Summit on 24 - 25 September; it was chosen as a venue for the G-20 summit by the Obama administration in order to highlight the city's economic recov...

Pittsburgh, USA is preparing to host the next G-20 Summit on 24 - 25 September; it was chosen as a venue for the G-20 summit by the Obama administration in order to highlight the city's economic recovery and its commitment to employing new and green technology to further economic recovery and development.     Background   At the G-20 Washington Summit, the Leaders committed to an Action Plan which was reviewed and renewed at the London Summit held in April 2009. The G-20 Finance Ministers were tasked from the Washington summit to take forward work in the following five areas: strengthening transparency and accountability; enhancing sound regulation; promoting integrity in financial markets; reinforcing international cooperation; and reforming the international financial institutions.   The London Summit built on the work in those areas, as Leaders reached agreement on six pledges: to restore confidence, growth, and jobs; to repair the financial system to restore lending; to strengthen financial regulation to rebuild trust; to fund and reform our international financial institutions to overcome this crisis and prevent future ones; to promote global trade and investment and reject protectionism; and to build an inclusive, green, and sustainable recovery. In London, the Leaders also called for another meeting to be held before the end of 2009. After consultation with his G-20 counterparts, President Obama agreed to host the next meeting in September and chose Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the site. With governments and international organizations now hard at work to reach the objectives set out at the Washington and London Summits, the meeting in Pittsburgh will give Leaders the opportunity to take stock of the progress made and discuss further actions to assure a sound recovery from the global economic and financial crisis.