The G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors will hold their third annual meeting today in Ottawa to discuss their role in fighting terrorism and making the world less vulnerable to financial crises.

The meeting begins tonight with a working dinner, followed by a morning meeting on Saturday, November 17. Later that day Finance Minister Paul Martin, who is also the G-20 chair, will attend a meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee of the International Monetary Fund. This will be followed, on November 18, by a meeting of the Development Committee of the World Bank and IMF.

Minister Martin invited the G-20 to Canada after the Indian government decided not to host the meeting in New Delhi. “These meetings play a vital role in the development of policies that enable the global economy to withstand shocks and respond quickly to unforeseen events,” said Martin. “It is now more important than ever that these meetings continue — the workings of the global economy cannot be stopped by terrorism.”

Although much of the discussion will focus on ways to detect and prevent the misuse of the global financial system by terrorists, ministers and governors will also build on last year’s discussions on how to encourage sustainable and stable economic growth.