Declaration shows G20 still embraces spirit of partnership

It is not easy for the leaders of different countries to reach an unanimous agreement on issues such as trade and climate change. The just concluded G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires reached a consensus on promoting "fair and sustainable development through an agenda that is people-centered, inclusive and forward-looking". It can therefore be considered an achievement in itself.

True, that will still require teams from the 20 major economies to sit down together to hammer out the details of how they will work together for a fair and free trading mechanism within the multilateral trading framework. But at least they should be starting on the same page and be clear about what they are aiming for.

And that is exactly what these summits are supposed to do - set a common direction and put shoulders to the wheel of the cart of common endeavors and set it rolling in the right direction.