Levels of power · Level 10 of 10

G7, G20, Davos and global forums

Meetings where leaders, ministers and business meet outside treaty bodies: the G7 and G20 summits, the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Bilderberg Meeting, the Trilateral Commission and the Council on Foreign Relations. They make no binding law, so this page sets out what each says about itself and what official records show about who attends and who funds them.

What this level decides

• Joint statements (communiqués) by the world's largest economies (G7, G20)
• Agendas and invitations for annual meetings
• Policy reports and initiatives published by each forum

Key figures

How it works

The G7 is described by the Canadian government as an informal partnership of advanced economies. Its members are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, together with the European Union. The French presidency says the group has no legal existence, permanent secretariat or official members, and that the presidency is held each year by one of the seven states in turn. France hosted the 2026 summit at Évian from 15 to 17 June.

The G20 brings together 19 of the world's largest economies, the European Union and the African Union, according to the UK Government. It says the group makes up 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade and two-thirds of the world's population. The 2026 US presidency site says the G20 has no permanent secretariat and its presidency rotates annually among members. The 2026 Leaders' Summit is in Miami on 14 and 15 December, and the UK hosts in Manchester in 2027.

The G7 has no legal existence and the G20 has no permanent secretariat, so each year's presidency sets the agenda and publishes the outputs. The 2026 G20 site carries items such as a Chair's Statement and a Trade Ministers' Statement. The G20 meets at several levels, including leaders' summits and meetings of finance ministers and central bank governors. For 2026 the US presidency lists meetings such as foreign ministers in Atlanta on 30 and 31 October and sherpa meetings, with documents published on g20.org.

Public authorities support the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos. The Swiss federal government says the 2026 meeting ran from 19 to 23 January with more than 2,500 participants. The security cost ceiling is CHF 9 million, shared 50% by the WEF, 25% by the federal government, 21.67% by Graubünden and 3.33% by Davos. Up to 5,000 armed forces personnel are authorised for civil support in 2025 to 2027.

How to have a say

1. Read the G20 2026 US presidency site for meeting dates, ministerial statements and events
2. Read the UK Government's announcement of the 2027 G20 Summit in Manchester
3. Read the French presidency's pages on the 2026 G7 Évian summit and its outcomes
4. Sign or create a UK petition on government policy, including foreign and economic policy
5. Respond to open UK government consultations
6. Make a Freedom of Information request to the Cabinet Office or Foreign Office about UK summit positions

The records you can check

• G7 and G20 communiqués and leaders' statements
• Ministers' overseas travel returns (who went to Davos)
• MPs' register entries for trips and hospitality
• Each forum's own annual report and accounts, and its filings in the country where it is registered

Official registers and data

• G20 2026 US presidency
  Official site with participants, events calendar, news and documents.
• Manchester to host world leaders at the 2027 G20 Summit (GOV.UK)
  UK Government announcement with dates, venue and G20 membership statement.
• Canada and the G7
  Government of Canada explanation of G7 membership and how it works.
• What is the G7? (Élysée)
  French presidency explainer of the G7's structure and rotating presidency.
• 2026 G7 Summit in Évian (Élysée)
  Summit dates, participants and outcomes.
• World Economic Forum Annual Meeting dossier (Swiss Federal Government)
  Security arrangements, costs and attendance for Davos.

The bodies at this level

• Bilderberg Meeting

  The Bilderberg Meeting is a private annual conference of politicians, business people and academics. Downing Street described it in 2013 as 'a private meeting' at which the Prime Minister could 'discuss global economic issues with senior ministers, business people and academics' (gov.uk). The Bilderberg Meetings website could not be read for this entry, so details of its founding, organisers and participants are not included.

• Council on Foreign Relations

  The Council on Foreign Relations is a US membership organisation, think tank and publisher of Foreign Affairs, founded in 1921, whose stated mission is 'to inform U.S. engagement with the world' (CFR). It had 5,397 individual members in June 2025 and over 100 corporate members, and is a New York not-for-profit exempt from US federal income tax under section 501(c)(3). It has no public powers.

• G20

  The G20 is a forum of major advanced and emerging economies, representing about 85% of global GDP and two-thirds of the world's population, that coordinates economic policy through an annual leaders' summit and meetings of finance ministers and central bank governors (2026 US presidency site). It has no permanent secretariat; the presidency rotates each year. The United States holds the 2026 presidency and the UK holds it in 2027.

• G7

  The G7 is an annual meeting of the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, with the European Union fully involved since 1977 (French G7 presidency site). It has no legal existence, permanent secretariat or treaty; the country holding the yearly rotating presidency hosts it and sets the agenda. Its leaders issue declarations rather than binding decisions.

• World Economic Forum

  The World Economic Forum is a Swiss not-for-profit foundation, founded in 1971 and headquartered in Geneva, that convenes business, government and other leaders, most visibly at its Annual Meeting in Davos (WEF Annual Report 2025-2026). It is funded mainly by its corporate partners and members: partnership and membership income was CHF 297.7 million of CHF 461.3 million revenue in the year to 30 June 2026. It has no public powers; its Board of Trustees is co-chaired by Laurence D. Fink and André Hoffmann.

Up and down the ladder

Below: The IMF, World Bank and global finance.

Common questions

What does g7, g20, davos and global forums decide?

Joint statements (communiqués) by the world's largest economies (G7, G20); Agendas and invitations for annual meetings; Policy reports and initiatives published by each forum.

Which records show what g7, g20, davos and global forums do?

G7 and G20 communiqués and leaders' statements; Ministers' overseas travel returns (who went to Davos); MPs' register entries for trips and hospitality; Each forum's own annual report and accounts, and its filings in the country where it is registered.

What is the G7?

The Government of Canada describes the Group of Seven as an informal partnership of advanced economies, whose members are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, along with the European Union. The French presidency says it has no legal existence or permanent secretariat. The presidency rotates annually among the seven countries.

What is the G20?

The UK Government says the G20 brings together 19 of the world's largest economies, the European Union and the African Union, and is the main international forum for coordinating the world's largest economies. It says the group makes up 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade and two-thirds of the world's population.

Who hosts the G20 in 2026 and 2027?

The United States holds the 2026 presidency, with the Leaders' Summit in Miami, Florida on 14 and 15 December 2026, according to the G20 site. The UK Government announced on 23 September 2026 that it will host the twenty-second G20 Leaders' Summit in Manchester on 27 and 28 November 2027.

Does the G20 have a headquarters or secretariat?

No. The 2026 US presidency's G20 site says the G20 does not have a permanent secretariat. Instead, its presidency rotates annually among members. Meetings take place at several levels, including annual summits of heads of state or government and meetings of finance ministers and central bank governors.

Where did the 2026 G7 summit take place?

The Élysée reports that President Macron hosted the G7 Summit in Évian from 15 to 17 June 2026. It brought together leaders of G7 member countries, representatives of the European Union, partner countries associated with the presidency (Brazil, South Korea, Egypt, India and Kenya) and invited countries including Ukraine and several Gulf states.

Who pays for security at Davos?

The Swiss federal government says the three-tier model, applied since 2004, sets a tier-one annual cost ceiling of CHF 9 million. The World Economic Forum pays 50%, the federal government 25%, Graubünden 21.67% and Davos 3.33%. The federal government pays 80% of costs above the lower tiers in exceptional incidents.

Sources

• Home - G20 Miami 2026, read 23 October 2026
• Manchester to host world leaders at the 2027 G20 Summit - GOV.UK, read 23 October 2026
• Canada and the G7 - Global Affairs Canada, read 23 October 2026
• What is the G7? - Élysée (French presidency, Biarritz 2019), read 23 October 2026
• 2026 G7 Summit in Évian - Élysée, read 23 October 2026
• World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 - Swiss Federal Government, read 23 October 2026
• Petition Parliament and the government - GOV.UK, read 23 October 2026
• Get involved - GOV.UK, read 23 October 2026
• How to make a freedom of information (FOI) request - GOV.UK, read 23 October 2026