LLeaders from seven of the world's wealthiest gather at this year's G7 Summit in the Bavarian Alps, Germany, on Sunday to meet the world's leaders. Discuss the most pressing issues. The agenda for the June 26-28 event includes theRussia's invasion of Ukraine, thewar, vaccine fairness, and the global economic crisis exacerbated by climate emergencies.
This year's G7 President, the German ChancellorOlaf Scholz, was at the Global Solutions Summit in Berlin in March, when the war in Ukraine "brought us as the G7." Ignore our responsibility for global challenges such as the climate crisis and pandemics. ”
What is the G7? The
G7 is made up of the seven wealthiest countries in the world and meets annually to discuss global security, economic and climate concerns. This year, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Prime Minister Olav Schortz, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Kan, and US President Joe Biden. Will attend.
E.U. Again this year, President Ursula von der Leyenand President Charles Michel of the European Council will be present. This is the practice of block leaders.
"This is the most economically and politically powerful group of democracies in the world. It is the most authoritarian threat of expansionism since Nazi Germany invaded Europe. It's happening at a big time, "said Nicole Sedaka, Executive Vice President. President of Freedom House, a non-profit organization in the United States that pursues democracy. "What we are looking for is how much political and economic burden they will bring to actually boost Russia's aggression."
G7 Chairman and others Countries can be invited and leaders from Argentina, India, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa are expected to attend.
Russia joined the group in 1998 and its name was changed to G8, but it has been excluded from 2014 after the annexation of Crimean.
The G7, as is now known, was first formed in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis. This has led to a serious recession and rising inflation. France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and West Germany formed the first Group of Six in 1975 to discuss subsequent economic concerns. Canada joined the group in 1976.
Read more:What is the G7? This is the history of the meeting
What is the agenda?
Despite Schortz's comment that the war in Ukraine should not allow G7 leaders to ignore other global priorities, this issue is expected to dominate the three-day summit. increase. “This war is not short-lived, so there is a real premium in communicating unity and a credible response,” says Michael Hannah, US Program Director for the International Crisis Group.
He adds that this year's summit could be particularly important in creating an influential global economic response.
The main focus may be in dealing with the economic shock that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine and subsequent western sanctions. Experts believe that finding a unified approach will be an easier task.
"(Russia) deserves a lot of responsibility, but there is no doubt that response and western sanctions play a role," Hannah says, referring to the state of the world economy. "This happens in addition to the inflationary pressures and economic shocks seen during the pandemic."
The effects of the war on thedistribution of foodwere disastrous. Ukraine is one of the world's major suppliers of grain and vegetable oils. The Russian invasion disrupted normal production and helped record global food prices. The G7 called on all countries to "keep the food and agricultural markets open", with questions about food production, distribution, supply, and assistance to the affected countries. It can be a point.
“Many of these challenges we face globally are human challenges,” says Sedaka. "It's not a wheat shortage. It's not a grain shortage. It's a country's choice to disrupt the world market for its authoritarian interests." She didn't address the root cause. , Warns not to focus solely on food and refugee crises. "If the root cause is authoritarianism, we need to resolve it rather than focus on the outcome alone."
G7 also precedes the summit until mid-2022. He reiterated the need to work towards achieving the World Health Organization's goal of immunizing 70% of the world's population with the coronavirus. However, according to a statement on the G7's official website, doing so would "need a significant acceleration" of the global vaccination campaign.
How G7 countries have helped Ukraine so far
G7 countries provided Ukraine with additional$ 19.8 billionlast month. Agreed to. They imposed sanctions onRussia. It targets the country's largest banks, Russia's major state-owned enterprises, the elite and their families. They also promised to work towards the phasing out or ban onRussian oil
. Recently, the United States announced last week that it would send another $ 1 billion in military aid. Since the invasion of Russia on February 24,has already promised $ 4.6 billion in security assistance. 72} Three multiple rocket launcherswill be available in Ukraine in July or August. Canadaannounced on June 15that it would provide at least $ 9 million worth of additional military aid. Since the outbreak of the war, Canada has promised $ 274 million in military aid to Ukraine.
There are further signs of Western determination to continue to support Ukraine.
Last week, German Prime Minister Olav Schortz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi met with Ukrainian President Wolodimir Zelensky in a kib and bid for the country's E.U. E.U. Granted Ukrainian "candidate" status on Thursday. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also arrived in Kieu last week for a second surprise visit to a needy country.
Sanya Mansoor (sanya.mansoor@time.com)
