SEOUL, South Korea - Prime Minister Stephen Harper will take full advantage of the G20 podium on Friday to poke a finger in the eyes of the other leaders, reminding them that they promised to the world to each do their part for a global economic recovery.

On the final day of the summit, Harper is leading the contentious G20 discussion on how to establish sustainable growth. He will insist that leaders not backtrack on commitments to avoid beating up on each other in the face of economic hardship, Canadian officials told reporters.

"You can expect the prime minister to say that G20 members will have to resist the temptation of unilateral action in response to current pressures that are now weighing on the world economy," Harper spokesman Dimitri Soudas told reporters.

"It was concerted action by the G20 that averted economic catastrophe, and this obviously needs to continue, especially in this context of weakened and uncertain growth prospects."

By referring to "unilateral action", Harper is specifically targeting the growing number of G20 countries that have adopted capital controls, restrict currency flexibility and engage in protectionism, officials said.

"There's an opportunity for him to lay it out and have some feedback," explained one senior official.

Leaders met for their first tete-a-tete at a dinner on Thursday night, but there was little sign of any progress toward a meeting of the minds.

Harper said Thursday he was not confident that the summit will lead to a firm resolution on currencies and global imbalances as he had hoped.

"They do have to be addressed. Will they be addressed at this conference? I'm not so sure," Harper said. "But I think we're getting a more frank discussion on these matters, that they do have to be resolved."

The G20 is deeply divided over how best to restore global growth. An agreement among G20 finance ministers -- to allow exchange rates to be determined by financial markets, and to make sure countries don't allow trade and investment balances to balloon into huge deficits or surpluses - was supposed to a building block for a stronger agreement among leaders.

But now, China and other surplus countries are accusing the United States of using a $600-billion Federal Reserve bond purchasing program as a way to devalue the U.S. dollar. And rhetoric about China's reluctance to allow its currency to appreciate much has heated up too.

Meanwhile, signs of sovereign debt trouble in Ireland and Portugal were mounting, adding extra pressure on the G20 leaders to issue a cohesive statement that would calm markets and set minds at ease.

Sources say some G20 insiders are frustrated at the lack of agreement on what would merely set out the terms of a conversation for controlling global imbalances, let alone undertake concrete action.

Seoul on Friday morning took on the look of Toronto in June: dozens of police on every corner, barricade after barricade snarling traffic, and the occasional water cannon on the street to remind everyone who is boss.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in the days leading up to the summit, but all was quiet on Friday morning.

Security is tight, with South Korea on high alert in case North Korea tries to send a message to global leaders at the summit.

Despite their disagreements over how to handle global imbalances, G20 leaders have already signed on to a plan to focus on development of the world's poorest countries.

A signature initiative of the Korean host, the G20 was poised to release a communique early Friday that would tout the "Seoul consensus" - growth led by entrepreneurs, free markets and trade, rather than simply aid.

"While the provision of (aid) remains essential to the development of most least-industrialized countries, an enduring and meaningful reduction in poverty cannot be achieved without inclusive, sustainable and resilient growth," the G20 says, according to a draft obtained by The Canadian Press.

But the draft document is long on dreams and short on direction, underwhelmed analysts said.

When Canada hosted the G20 in June, Ottawa resisted pleas from emerging market members of the group to give development a big role.

Still, the federal government committed $20 million to start up a contest to reward innovative solutions for financing small and medium-sized businesses in emerging countries. The United States and Korea are expected to announce extra financing for the prize on Friday.

Plus, Canada has also made a point of highlighting its financial pledges for the African Development Fund. Making good on promises made at the Toronto summit, Ottawa has just pledged $326 million over three years, up eight per cent from previous commitments.