On 6 May 2026, alongside the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), IDDRI, and Think France 2026 we convened a closed-door roundtable at the IAI in Rome titled “Acting Together, from G7 2026 to G20 2027”. The trilateral dialogue was conducted under the Chatham House Rule to encourage open, candid discussion among European and international actors.
The international development landscape is currently at a critical juncture. With Official Development Assistance (ODA) declining, there is a growing trend among donors to use development assistance to leverage investments serving national interests. Following the French G7 Development Ministerial in April 2026, translating high-level decisions into actionable synergies has become a pressing priority.
The roundtable was designed around three main objectives:
- Aligning policy coherence: Ensuring that the outcomes of the French G7 Development Ministerial align with Italy’s “Mattei Plan for Africa” and the UK’s upcoming G20 Presidency.
- Fostering European synergies: Exploring how international cooperation can effectively de-risk investments in partner countries by engaging both institutional and non-institutional actors.
- Enabling actionable feedback: Providing a safe space for Public and Multilateral Development Banks, such as the French Development Agency (AFD) and the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), and African stakeholders to discuss G7 and G20 policy directions.
Céline Kaufmann, Chief Programmes Officer at IDDRI and Coordinator of Think7, opened the session and set the strategic context for the dialogue.
The high-level panel was moderated by Iliana Olivié, Director of ETTG, and featured prominent diplomatic and policy perspectives:
- Benoît Lerosey (Deputy Director of Sustainable Development and Investment, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs) discussed France’s G7 priorities, which centre on infrastructure financing and addressing inequality.
- Carlo Batori (Deputy Director General for Development Cooperation, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) detailed the strategic focus of Italy’s Mattei Plan.
- Philip Brown (Counsellor Economic, Social and Trade Policy, British Embassy in Rome) outlined the United Kingdom’s preparations for its upcoming G20 leadership.
The panel was followed by an interactive Q&A session that allowed participants to explore practical mechanisms for cross-border cooperation. The event concluded with remarks from Daniele Fattibene, Associate Fellow at IAI and ETTG Coordinator.
The insights from this roundtable will be developed into a dedicated podcast episode and an IAI Policy Brief, both set to be published ahead of the June 2026 G7 Summit.
