G7 Summit starts to meet this Friday (19); see what will be discussed

The G7 summit meetings begin this Friday (19) in Hiroshima, Japan, and run until next Sunday (21). The group is formed by the seven most industrialized nations in the world: Germany, Canada, United States, France, Italy, Japan and United Kingdom.

Eight other countries were invited to the meeting: Brazil, Australia, Comoros, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, South Korea and Vietnam.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) landed in Japan on Thursday (18), accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira.

This will be Lula’s seventh participation in G7 meetings as a guest. This year, the Brazilian Chief Executive was invited by the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida.

Representatives of the following organizations will be present:

  • United Nations (UN);
  • International Monetary Fund (IMF);
  • World Bank;
  • Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD);
  • International Energy Agency (IEA);
  • World Health Organization (WHO);
  • World Trade Organization (WTO);
  • European Union (EU).

Here’s a summary of what needs to be addressed:

War between Russia and Ukraine

In the opinion of the G7, the world was hit by two main events that “shattered the foundations of the international order”: the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Among the main perspectives that will be discussed is the rejection of any threat or even the use of nuclear weapons, as proposed by Russia.

The group sees the war in Eastern Europe as a challenge to the democratic rule of law and “will continue to strongly promote sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine.

According to information from the special envoy of the CNN to Hiroshima, Priscila Yazbek, two documents must be issued: one by the G7 member countries and another by the invited members.

However, the movement is causing the Brazilian government to show concern about the terms that will be used, due to the expectation of a tougher tone.

While the G7 leaders are expected to discuss tightening sanctions on Russians, the Brazilian administration does not want to participate in a request that talks about penalties, according to sources at the Planalto Palace.

The document should be issued on Saturday (20), at the working session on food insecurity, entitled “Working together to face multiple crises”.

As the member countries and guests sign the text, sources from the Planalto Palace who follow the negotiations tell the CNN that there is a fear that G7 members will include terms that represent increased hostility to Russia.

“Remember that there are other countries that are not part of the G7 that also have positions on the issue of Ukraine, which are not exactly coincident with the position of the G7 countries”, said Ambassador Maurício Carvalho Lyrio, secretary of economic affairs and finances from Itamaraty.

There are fears that Russia will be bothered by the language. There is still a fear that a more hostile tone against the country issued by the G7 will be used as a pressure factor for the use of the same language in more important decisions at the UN.

Lula, in turn, should continue to reinforce the role of the G7 in mediating peace in the conflict.

Biden and Kishida meeting

US President Joe Biden met with Fumio Kishida on Thursday (18) to discuss closer cooperation in the face of the rise of China and Russian unpredictability, which both see as a threat to the world order of the postwar.

G7 members are increasingly concerned about what they see as China’s economically coercive policies and its rapid accumulation of sensitive technology — as well as Russia’s repeated threats about the use of nuclear weapons.

Tackling these problems head-on, however, is not so easy, say officials in G7 member countries in particular, particularly given the West’s immense dependence on China, the world’s second-largest economy, both as a trading partner and, in some cases, , a manufacturing base.

“The international community is at a crossroads in history,” said Prime Minister Kishida after meeting with Biden for more than an hour.

The summit could offer a chance for G7 members to show the world their commitment to “a free and open international order based on the rule of law,” Kishida continued, using language that seemed aimed at both Russia and China.

Although a longtime buyer of Russian oil, Japan acted in concert with G7 sanctions against Moscow following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The military action has also raised fears among Japanese people that China could be emboldened to take action against Taiwan unless Russia is stopped.

South hemisphere

More issues should be discussed at the summit, such as strengthening the engagement of the G7 with countries in the Southern Hemisphere based on solutions for energy, food security, climate change, health and development.

According to the group, it is desired to strengthen the partnership with these nations, with more contributions and cooperation. It is also including the Indo-Pacific area in the perspectives, with the desire that the region comprising Oceania, the Middle East, South Asia and East Africa be “free and open”.

climate and energy

Even with the challenges to ensure energy security for Ukraine, the goal of zero net emissions by 2050 remains unchanged by the group.

At the meetings, trajectories of energy transitions will be highlighted for the main countries that emit pollutants, making the necessary adjustments to each region.

Food

With the current food crisis facing the world, the G7 sees the need to ensure access to safe, nutritious and affordable food for all people.

From there, they will identify the main structural vulnerabilities in the global food system and establish a path to resolve the issue.

Health care

Based on the problems highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic, plans will be drawn up to strengthen the global health architecture with a focus on prevention, preparation and responses to future health crises.

Contributions will also be made to achieve a stronger, fairer and more sustainable universal health coverage, with the promotion of innovations in the sector.

Sustainable development

In order to achieve all targets of the UN 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the summit intends to focus on people, discussing support for the vulnerable.

The group will continue to promote initiatives in the areas of gender, human rights, digital technology and science and technology.

G7 held in Hiroshima

With the Presidency of the G7, Japan chose to host the 2023 meeting in Hiroshima. The city recovered from the damage caused by the explosion of an atomic bomb dropped by the United States in 1945, during World War II.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida explains that the world faces a deep crisis due to Russian aggression against Ukraine and points out the growing risk of the use of weapons of mass destruction.

To this end, Japan would like to demonstrate that the G7 categorically denies military aggression, threats of nuclear weapons and attempts to overthrow the international order.

Thus, Hiroshima is considered by the government the most appropriate place to express its commitment to peace.

See Lula’s agenda and the G7 meetings:

Note: Schedule according to Brasilia time

Friday (19)

  • 5:00 am – Meeting between Lula and the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese
  • 8:45 pm – Meeting between Lula and the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida
  • 10 pm – Meeting between Lula and the president of Indonesia, Joko Widodo

Saturday (20)

  • 3am – First G7 meeting with the theme “Working together to face multiple crises”
  • 5:55 am – Meeting between Lula and the President of France, Emmanuel Macron
  • 6:25 am – Second G7 meeting with the theme “Joint efforts for a resilient and sustainable planet”
  • 8 am – Meeting between Lula and the Prime Minister of Germany, Olaf Scholz
  • 21:40 – Heads of State and delegations visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
  • 22:30 – Third G7 meeting with the theme “Towards a peaceful, stable and prosperous world”

Sunday (21)

  • 2:30 am – Meeting between Lula and UN Secretary-General António Guterres
  • 3:15 am – Meeting between Lula and the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Pham Minh Chinh
  • 5:00 am – Meeting between Lula and representatives of the conglomerates Mitsui, NEC, Nippon Steel and Toyota
  • 8 pm – Lula press conference before departure back to Brazil

(*With information from Reuters)

Source: CNN Brasil

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