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G7 summit: what have rich democracies agreed on? | UK news

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Leaders of G7 countries ended the three-day summit with a number of initiatives, including a commitment to vaccinate poor countries against coronavirus, a direct tax payment to large corporations, and a plan to tackle climate change. a mix of technology and money.

In a joint statement at the end of the meeting on Sunday in southwestern Cornwall, G7 leaders – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States – returned to international cooperation over pandemic incidents and US President Donald Trump after the surprise of the former.

Here is a summary of the G7’s main initiatives:

one billion vaccine doses

The G7 made ambitious promises, such as sharing vaccine doses with less affluent countries that urgently need them. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, who gave a press conference at the end of the summit, said the group would commit at least 1 billion doses, half of which would come from the US and 100 million from Britain.

Many of the prescribed doses will go through the global vaccine purchasing system sponsored by COVAX, the World Health Organization and the Gavi vaccine alliance.

Commitment does not represent entirely new resources, and the donation is much poorer than the number of shots needed to fully integrate poor countries. In addition, the plan does not address distribution gaps that may make it difficult to deliver doses.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and other public health officials praised the vaccine’s commitment but said it was not enough. To really end the pandemic, he said, 11 billion doses are needed to inject at least 70 percent of the world’s population by 2022.

“We need more and we need them faster,” Tedros said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie Johnson pose for photos with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her husband Joachim Sauer at the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall [Patrick Semansky/Reuters]

‘Transparent research’

The G7 has also called on China to work with the UN health agency to conduct a “transparent” second phase probe into the origins of the global coronavirus pandemic.

“We … demand that the 2nd phase of the COVID-19 Origins study, called by the WHO, be timely, transparent, correct and scientific, including that recommended by expert reports in China,” the group said in its latest statement.

Accelerate action against climate change

Climate change was a key focus on the last day of leaders ’talks with G7 countries, encouraging collective action to address the environmental crisis.

“We are committed to halving collective emissions by two decades by 2030, increasing and improving climate finance by 2025 and conserving or protecting at least 30 percent of our land and oceans by 2030,” the joint statement read.

The seven leaders also agreed to raise their contributions to meet their $ 100,000 billion annual spending commitment to reduce carbon emissions and address global warming, but the campaigns said they lacked firm financial promises.

Along with factors that help accelerate infrastructure financing in developing countries and move to renewable and sustainable technology, the seven most advanced economies in the world are committed again to meeting the goal of climate finance.

However, climate groups have said such promises are not detailed. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said individual nations would determine the size of the rises “in due course”.

Max Lawson, head of Equality Policy at Oxfam, said it was “unacceptable for the majority of the G7 to miss out on new commitments to finance the climate”.

“Developing countries were looking for progress in this regard, ahead of the climate talks held in Glasgow. The vague promises of new funding for green development projects should not deviate from that goal, ”he said.

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden greet British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a G7 summit in Carbis Bay, UK, before taking pictures [File: Patrick Semansky/Reuters]

Global minimum tax on multinational corporations

The decision was highly anticipated after the finance ministers approved at the beginning of the month to impose a global minimum tax of at least 15% on large multinational corporations, trying to stop corporations from using tax havens to avoid taxes and thus steal enough theft from some countries. income. The proposal will go to the G20 nations that will be held in Italy next month.

Russia and cyberattacks

Wealthy nations called on Russia to take action against those who carry out cyberattacks and use rescue software, and called for an investigation into the use of chemical weapons on Russian soil.

“We call on Russia to urgently investigate and reliably explain the use of a chemical weapon on its soil, to end systematic repression against independent civil society and the media, and to identify, break and hold accountable people within its borders who carry out ransomware. Attacks, virtual currency bad money laundering bailouts and other cybercrimes, ”said a statement issued after the end of the summit of British leaders.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie Johnson pose for photos with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, UK [File: Patrick Semansky/Reuters]

Immediate cessation of the war in Ethiopia

The G7 called for an immediate end to the enemies in the Tigray region of Ethiopia.

“We are deeply concerned about the conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia and the news of a major humanitarian tragedy taking place,” the statement said. “We demand an immediate cessation of hostilities, humanitarian access to all unhindered areas and the immediate withdrawal of Eritrean forces.”

In November, fighting began in the region with government troops and the former government party in the region, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Neighboring Eritrean troops also entered the conflict to support the Ethiopian government.

A challenge for China

Leaders of rich democracies say they will work together to challenge China’s “non-market economic practices” and call on Beijing to respect human rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

U.S. President Joe Biden wanted to persuade fellow Democratic leaders to present a more united front to compete economically with Beijing and to strongly call for China’s “marketless policies and human rights violations”.

The G7 communiqué said: “As far as China and the global economy are concerned, we will continue to hold consultations on collective approaches that undermine the transparent and weak functioning of the global economy in non-market policies and practices.”

Leaders also said they would promote their values ​​by calling on China to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Xinjiang, accused of committing serious human rights violations against Beijing’s Uighur minority and in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong.



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