G20 faces toughest test amid US stance

Doubts over Washington's commitment could impact global cooperation: Experts

Leading policymakers and experts warned in Washington that rising uncertainty about US commitment to multilateralism and tensions between major countries could pose challenges to global economic and climate cooperation, even as pressing development needs, especially in Africa, demand urgent attention through forums like the G20.

The G20 remains the "premier forum for international cooperation" but faces perhaps its "greatest test" in forcing collective action in an increasingly divided world, said Brahima Sangafowa Coulibaly, vice-president of Global Economy and Development at Brookings Institution, opening the panel on Tuesday titled "Strengthening global economic cooperation for a changing world: The unique role of the G20".

Caroline Atkinson, a former US deputy national security adviser for international economics, expressed her worry about the US' disengagement and its potential impact on G20.