Working Guidelines

1 . Aims of the working guidelines

These working guidelines are intended to:

Establish consistency between terms used by “B20 Chair”, “B20 Sherpa”, “B20 Secretariat”, “Advisory Board members”, “International Advocacy Caucus members”, “Knowledge Partners”, “Scientific Partners”, “Task Force Managers”, “Policy Advisors”, “Task Force members”, “Action Council members”.
Ensure efficiency and effectiveness of the B20 Italy process by clearly defining its leadership and governance and the roles and responsibilities of each contributor.
Provide a common ground on the expected deliverables, maxim is etheir effectiveness and avoid inconsistency among the outputs of the different Task Forces and Action Council.

2 . Introduction

The sixteenth edition of the G20 Summit will take place in November 2021 in Rome. The B20, one of G20’s official engagement groups, will develop action-oriented and impactful Policy Recommendations related to the most relevant and urgent priorities of the global economic agenda. Each recommendation will contain several specific Policy Actions. The recommendations will be conveyed to the G20 under the form of a Final Communiqué for consideration, adoption, and/or implementation.

The B20 Italy has carried out an in-depth stocktaking of previous B20 Editions’ priority areas with the aim of amplifying the impact of the B20 recommendations against the current, unprecedentedly disrupting, scenario.

In this light, while maintaining the existing Task Forces thematic priorities, B20 Italy decided to add two new priority areas: “Health & Life Sciences” and “Sustainability & Global Emergencies”. The latter being denominated “Action Council” to underline the link with the Task Forces, which is also reflected in its membership selection, as well as the urgency to foster coordination among G20 in sustainably managing systemic threats.

Trade & Investment
Digital Transformation
Integrity & Compliance
Finance & Infrastructure
Employment & Education
Energy & Resource Efficiency
Health & Life Sciences
Action Council Sustainability & Global Emergencies

3 . Organisation and Governance

The B20 Chair leads the entire B20 process, ensures its overall representation, appoints the Chairs, the Co-Chairs, the Advisory Board members, the International Advocacy Caucus members, and the Sherpa.

The B20 Sherpa is a senior leader from the host organisation with hands-on experience on policy issues and a solid network within G20 countries’ business organisation and CEOs of leading businesses.

The Sherpa is assisted by the B20 Secretariat, a team of professionals appointed by the host organisation that are experienced in process management, policy development, communication, and branding. The B20 Secretariat supports the policy paper development process and works closely with the B20 Sherpa to support the B20 Chair and the B20 TF/AC Chairs by organising meetings/events and by assessing the alignment of the B20 recommendations with the G20 agenda.

The Advisory Board and the International Advocacy Caucus play a vital role in providing high-level advice to the B20 Chair, by inspiring the overarching B20 strategic guidelines, by leveraging their leadership positions to reach out to international networks, and by supporting the Advocacy process.

The Task Force and Action Council (TF/AC) Chairs are supported by TF/AC Managers, the Sherpa, and the B20 Secretariat. The Chairs are core leaders having overall authority on setting and implementing the TF/AC agendas and activities, as well as on their respective policy areas’ contents development.

Each TF will have indicatively four to six Co-Chairs, who are important contributors to the development of policy recommendations and the advocacy process. They primarily consist of leaders from prominent international companies or business organisations. They are identified and appointed by the respective TF Chairs after consultation with the B20 Chair.

Each TF/AC is composed of indicatively 100 Members selected among senior executives of international companies and business associations through online applications. Members will provide inputs on the drafting of the policy recommendations based on their experience and expertise and will support the advocacy process in their respective countries.

TF Chairs and Co-Chairs are requested to nominate their Deputies, entitled to carry out operational activities on their behalf.

Each TF/AC is assisted by the B20 Secretariat, a Task Force Manager designated by the Chair, a Knowledge Partners, Network Partners and Scientific Partners (see the following chapter for role and responsibilities of the single actor).

The TF/AC Chair may decide to entrust an Operational Coordination Group to monitor the overall working activities’ timeline and to ensure that pending or particularly sensitive issues are dealt with constructively. Such an Operational Coordination Group will be composed by the Chair’s Deputy, the TF/AC Manager, the Knowledge Partner and the B20 Secretariat, and where needed the Co-Chairs’ Deputies.

The overall structure of B20 Italy is depicted in figure 1.

Figure 1: Organisation and Structure of B20 Italy

4 . Roles & Responsibilities

B20 Chair
The B20 Chair is an experienced and authoritative senior business leader with global reach and the ability to shape B20 global priorities while ensuring an effective interaction with G20 to leverage the B20 Final Communiqué. The B20 Chair leads the B20 process and representsthe B20 vis-à-vis the G20, governments, international organisations, the international business community, and the public at large. The B20 Chair selects the Sherpa, the Advisory Board, and International Advocacy Caucus members, as well as the TF/AC Chairs. The B20 Chair delivers the B20 policy recommendations to the G20 Presidency.
B20 Sherpa
The B20 Sherpa is responsible for the operational management of the B20 Secretariat, the content preparation, the delivery, and the advocacy of the policy recommendations. He leads the B20 Secretariat ensuring that the overall process proceeds effectively and efficiently. The B20 Sherpa monitors the engagement of the Knowledge, Network and Scientific Partners, and steers the B20 strategy by working closely to the B20 Chair. Together with the TF Managers, the Sherpa assists the TF/AC Chairs in advocating the B20 recommendations and co-represents the B20 along with the B20 Chair on major global platforms and events.
Advisory Board
The Advisory Board consists of prominent Italian senior business leaders operating at a global level with in-depth knowledge of industries and business policies. The Advisory Board members are appointed by the B20 Chair, and they assist her by providing overarching strategic advice, and by supporting the advocacy of the B20 priorities and recommendations to their networks. They may be requested to take an active part in the formal B20 proceeding as well as in other meetings, and side-events.
International Advocacy Caucus
The International Advocacy Caucus comprises CEOs and business leaders from the G20 countries. They are appointed by the B20 Chair to enrich her vision by sharing views and perspectives on the B20 global environment and priorities. They act as “B20 Ambassadors” and, as such, are requested to activate their networks to enhance the visibility, legitimacy, and advocacy of the B20 especially vis-à-vis their national governments. The International Advocacy Caucus members may be requested to take an active part in the formal B20 proceeding as well as in other meetings, and side-events.
Task Force and Action Council Chairs
The TF/AC Chairs lead the policy papers drafting process in conjunction with the B20 Chair. Together with the TF/AC Managers and the Sherpa, they set the TF/AC agenda and implement the policy recommendations advocacy. As Key Leaders, TF/AC Chairs represent the Task Forces and Action Council in all B20 senior meetings, public events, and forums. They identify their respective Co-Chairs, and propose them to the B20 Chair for appointments, ensuring an adequate and balanced representation.
Task Force and Action Council Co-Chairs
The TF/AC Co-Chairs are prominent CEOs or business organisation leaders that provide key contributions to the development and advocacy of the policy recommendations. They assist the TF/AC Chair and support the TF/AC activities with the high added value deriving from their experience and knowledge. They advocate TF/AC recommendations at a senior level to the public at large.
Task Force Managers
The TF/AC Managers are senior officials of Confindustria in charge of the operational content development under the guidance of their respective Chairs. They assess the contributions of the TF/AC members and the Network and Scientific Partners and coordinate the activity of the associated Knowledge Partners ensuring the highest degree of inclusiveness, consistency, and effectiveness of the recommendations. Together with the Secretariat and the Sherpa, they monitor the involvement and the alignment of all contributors, and they make sure that the deliverables are drafted timely and exhaustively.
Task Force and Action Council Members
The TF/AC members are the most important contributors to policy recommendation development. They are selected among business executives or senior members of the G20 Countries’ companies and business organisations. For outreach purposes, the host Presidency may extend the membership to special invitee Countries’ business representatives. TF/AC members discuss and orient the policy papers’ overall content, including possible, well-funded, country-specific barriers relevant to the implementation of recommendations.
The Action Council provides for a cross-thematic set of priorities that reflect the business concern with respect to a systemic crisis. Consequently, members are selected in order to meet the two fold objective of agreeing on specific policy recommendations and policy actions on the very issue of coordinating the response of the G20 to global emergencies with strong attention to sustainability, as well as to link up with all Task Forces as far as sustainability-related issues are dealt with therein.
B20 applicants can therefore choose to apply for the Action Council only, or one Task Force and the Action Council. In both cases, the applicants maintain the right to indicate a second option for the TF. The selection will pay particular attention to the AC applicants’ background and expertise in sustainability and crisis management, policies, and regulations. The total number of AC members counts as much as for all the other TFs (indicatively 100 members max).
Deputies of Task Force and Action Council Chairs and Co-Chairs
Both Task Force Chair and Co-Chairs can nominate a Deputy to support them by assuming operational activities on their behalf, as well as by representing them in case they are not able to attend a meeting or an event. Deputies may also have a role within the Operational Coordination Group that each TF/AC Chair can establish to deal with specific matters.
Knowledge Partners (KP)
Knowledge Partners are prominent international consultancy firms with high-level expertise in different policy areas. They support the B20 Secretariat, the TF/AC Managers, and the representatives of the TF/AC Chairs and of the Co-Chairs in the preparation, drafting, editing and finalisation of the policy papers. Knowledge Partners carry out desk research, provide data and qualitative and quantitative information to ground the policy recommendation development process. They attend the TF/AC meetings to facilitate their implementation, to track members’ observations, to draft their minutes and to elaborate on their requests.
Network Partners (NP)
The Network Partners are international business organisations and networks that contribute to the B20 process with their technical expertise, by engaging their international constituency, by ensuring the dissemination and the advocacy of the B20 policy recommendations. Network Partners are requested to organise side events in the framework of their core activities to connect the B20 with their respective memberships.
Scientific Partners (SP)
The Scientific Partner is a newly established partnership adopted by the Italian B20 Presidency. Scientific Partners are Italian Universities internationally reputed for their high academic standing on specific policy areas. They provide their contribution by supporting the in-depth review of the priority topics as well as by enriching the B20’s vision with analytical data and information regarding the most relevant global trends and emerging policy issues.
Operational Coordination Group (OCG)
At any time during the carrying out of TF/AC activities, a Chair may decide to establish a TF/AC Operational Coordination Group composed by the Chair’s Deputy, the TF/AC Manager, the Knowledge Partner and the B20 Secretariat, and the Co-Chairs’ Deputies. The OCG is entrusted with monitoring the operational activities’ timeline, and with ensuring that pending, or particularly sensitive, issues are dealt with constructively.
The overall structure of the B20 Italy Task Force structure is depicted in figure 2.

Figure 2: Organisation and Structure of B20 Italy Task Force Structure
B20 Secretariat
The B20 Secretariat oversees the overall implementation of the B20 process, namely its operational management, policy development, communication & branding, information technology, as well as events & logistics. It is composed of Confindustria managers, officials, and experts. The B20 Secretariat works closely with the TF/AC managers and the Sherpa. It supports the B20 Chair and the TF/AC Chairs by:
1. Organising the TF/AC meetings and all the B20 events (including inception and final Summit);
2. Defining, guiding, and monitoring the TF/AC timelines to ensure deadlines are respected, and activities are properly enforced.
3. Aligning and consolidating the B20 recommendations with the G20 agenda.

The Secretariat also provides support for the handover process to the next Indian presidency in 2022.

5 . Recommendations Development

Initial Survey, Task Force Meetings and Timelines An Initial Survey will be conducted soon after the TF/AC members’ nomination, to receive their feedback on the propose priorities’ relevance with the aim of ranking them accordingly. To ensure a smooth and efficient development of the policy recommendations, each TF/AC meets monthly (indicatively). After the Inception Meeting in January 2021, four-to-five conference calls are organised during February-June. According to travel and safety requirements, one joint TF/AC meeting could be tentatively organised in June. The B20 Summitis scheduled in October 2021. The precise date will be communicated in due time. The B20 Secretariat will deliver the meetings’ agenda, documents, and presentations in advance, and will maintain all back-up documents and minutes. Any updates or modifications with respect to the timeline provided at the inception meeting will be notified timely by email. Should some meetings or calls need a prior registration, this will also be notified in due time. The conference calls and meeting minutes will be documented by the Secretariat and the Knowledge Partner. They will be shared with TF/AC members, after being reviewed by the Task Force Manager. TF/AC members will be enabled to provide comments and propose amendments at each draft policy paper’s consultation round through a specifically dedicated form.
Inception Document The Inception Document provides the founding ground to each TF/AC. It is conceived and prepared by the host Presidency to present the priority topics in view of the inception meeting. To ensure continuity and consistency, the document provides a background of previous B20 priorities together with a synthetic assessment of their consideration by the G20, while illustrating the macro-economic conditions that support their diversification according to the in-place B20 Presidency and its general claim (motto). Per each TF/AC, the document is structured in a threefold way:
1. An overview of the B20 process, governance, and organisation with snapshots indications of most relevant macro-economic trends and their impact on business and key stakeholders over time to date.
2. A recap of previous B20 priority topics, with an assessment of current global challenges affecting the TF/AC area of expertise, the updated priority topics and their relevance against the current scenario, their consistency the B20 Italy 2021 Claim, and the TF/AC members’ survey results.
3. The TF/AC detailed timeline
Policy Paper The Policy Paper is the ultimate and the most important deliverable of each TF/AC. It contains the policy recommendations and the policy actions that the members have agreed to convey to the G20. It explains how the recommendations fit into the global context, why they are relevant to business and the G20 Agenda, and what actions are required to implement them. Where possible, it also backs up the requests with estimates on their impact. Once completed, each TF/AC policy paper is processed by the B20 Secretariat and encompassed in the B20 Recommendations Summary of the Final Communiqué that will be handed over to the G20 Presidency. The policy papers will be annexed to the Final Communiqué. All policy papers follow standard editing guidelines to outline the main information in use in the B20 cycles, such as those related to the leadership (B20 Chair, TF/AC Chairs, Co-Chairs, Advisory and Advocacy Bodies), to the membership (i.e. members’ geographical location, sector, most relevant aggregated data), the TF/AC associated partnerships (Knowledge, Network and Scientific Partners). They will also contain explanatory annexures (i.e. such as used acronyms, sources). Besides the sections on the leadership and membership, the final version will contain two other issues-related sections, namely:
1. An introductory section on the utmost TF/AC priorities and a foreword by the Chair summing up the main challenges, concerns and objectives.
2. A recommendations section: providing an executive summary, the illustration of global trends affecting the policy area, and the relevance of the policy recommendations to the global economic agenda and the G20. Each recommendation will clarify its rationale, correspondent policy actions and impacted SDGs, as well as the most relevant data and exhibits.

Each policy paper should be composed of a limited number (indicatively four to five) of clear policy recommendations broken down into (indicatively four to five) detailed policy actions. Precise information will be needed about whom each policy action is directed to (governments, international organisations, other target Institutions, bodies, or entities). Where possible, each policy action will report the awaited timing for acknowledgement, approval, endorsement, or execution.

6 . Advocacy

The B20 is inclusive in its own nature. Each member has the responsibility to advocate B20 priorities to his/her network. The International Advocacy Caucus must maximise its exposure to outreach qualified interlocutors across the G20 Countries. The B20 Chair will engage the G20 in regular and fruitful interaction with high visibility at the G20 Ministerial meetings. The B20 Chair, Sherpa, TF/AC Chairs and Co-Chairs will carry out advocacy actions by participating in international Fora and other G20 events, while the Network Partners will take care of disseminating B20 priorities and recommendations to their members.

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