47th G7 Summit Meeting: Summary of Key Talking Points

Rabat – The first in-person G7 summit since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic took place between June 11 and 13, 2021, in Carbis Bay in the UK.

Leaders from the world’s wealthiest liberal democracies met to discuss solutions to the challenges facing the world.

G7 stands for “Group of seven” and is a political symposium where leaders from the G7 countries meet every year since 1970.

The G7 countries include the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Japan, and Italy.

The members represent leaders of the world’s greatest power and have close economic and diplomatic ties. Originally the G7 was called the G8 up until Russia was excluded after annexing Crimea in 2014.

This year’s 2021 G7 meeting was the 47th and the first to be held in the UK since 2013.

Prime Minister Boris Jonhson invited leaders of South Africa, India, South Korea, and Australia.

The main focus of the G7 2021 meeting was to discuss how the world can recover from the COVID 19 pandemic.

During the meeting, leaders of the G7 countries underscored the importance of tackling the current COVID-19 health crisis and its consequences on the economy.

COVID-19: Vaccines and the economy

Prime minister Boris Jonhson underlined the importance of developing a global protocol response to avoid COVID-like global crises and tackle them more effectively in the future.

The G7 nations also promised to distribute 1 billion vaccines to poorer countries to overcome the COVID-19 crisis.

According to Boris Jonhson, the goal is to “vaccinate the world” by the end of 2022.

The G7 countries also said they would help developing countries recover from the pandemic through investments and new job opportunities.

US president Joe Biden encouraged fellow politicians to offer loans to developed countries. He said that would also help counter China’s “Belt and Road” initiative and limit China’s attempt to widen its global influence.

Adopted by the Chinese government in 2013, the Belt and Road initiative is a long-term investment project that seeks to exert China’s influence in over 70 countries worldwide.

Climate change

Ahead of the COP26 conference scheduled for November 2021, Boris Johnson mentioned climate change as one the key areas where global policy initiatives and actions should focus in the coming years.

Leaders of the G7 summit affirmed they would work together toward a “green revolution.”

They agreed to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5celsius degrees and reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Additionally, they committed to protecting and conserving at least 30% of land and oceans by 2030.

The leaders also discussed the plan “Build Back Better for the World” to rival China’s “Belt and Road.”

The plan promises to finance green infrastructure projects, help developed countries limit their reliance on coal, and shift towards more sustainable energy sources.

Call on China for its human rights abuses

The US president called on other leaders to condemn China’s human rights abuses and its alleged use of forced labor in Xinjiang.

According to the UN and other rights groups such as Amnesty, the Uyghur Muslim community is being detained and persecuted in camps in Xinjiang.

China refuted the accusations, saying the camps were vocational centers meant to counter the threat of religious extremism.

Taxes

Leaders discussed the implementation of a global minimum tax of at least 15% on multinational enterprises.

The policy is meant to hold the companies in check and prevent them from using tax havens detrimental to developing countries’ economies.

An end to the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia

The G7 countries drew attention to the escalating violence in Tigray Ethiopia and called on governments to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis.
The Tigray region is currently experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises due to regional conflicts.

The Ethiopian government launched a military offensive in the Tigray region following disputes between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and leaders of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).