G7 Summit in Cornwall: Donating Vaccines to the Poor

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Sunday, June 13, 2021 

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G7 Summit in Cornwall: Donating Vaccines to the Poor

1st post 19 hours

Last update: 12/06/21 19:12

 

 

 

One billion vaccines are expected to be donated to the world's poorest countries by the leaders of the seven strongest economies at the G7 Summit in Cornwall.

 

"No one is safe until everyone is safe"

The G7 leaders, who believe in the "no one is safe until everyone is safe" doctrine, are expected to announce that they will donate 1 billion vaccines to 92 poor countries around the world, aiming to vaccinate the entire world population by the end of 2022. Joe Biden has already pledged that the United States will participate in this effort with 500 million doses of vaccine, while the United Kingdom has promised to donate 100 million doses. In turn, the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, said that her country will contribute to this effort, stating that "the G7 will have to prove that we care not only for ourselves but also for others who do not have the opportunity to be vaccinated, such as African countries, inter alia ".

 

For many analysts, this session is considered one of the most important in recent decades for many different reasons. First of all, because decisive decisions are expected to be made to deal with the pandemic worldwide, but also for how humanity should be prepared to deal with similar situations in the future.

 

On the table, apart from the pandemic, are climate change, Northern Ireland and the US proposal to impose a global minimum tax rate of 15% on the world's largest companies already decided by the White House.

 

Reconstructing global resilience

Today, the second day of the session, there will be a total of three sessions. The first will focus on rebuilding global resilience, the practices that the world community must adopt in the face of the challenges posed by the pandemic. The coronavirus and austerity measures imposed around the world have, among other things, lost billions worldwide due to the cessation of entrepreneurship as well as millions of jobs around the world.

 

Boris Johnson, as the host of this meeting, stressed, among other things, that the mistakes made in the 2008 financial crisis should not be made and that everyone should be prepared, as best they can, for what is to come. At the same time, he pointed out the need to find ways of sustainable recovery in order to create opportunities for all.

 

Foreign policy - The West's relationship with Russia and China

The second session today concerns foreign policy. It is expected to discuss the West's stance on Russia and China, while analysts say much of the G7 leaders' discussion will focus on Northern Ireland.

 

The issue of Northern Ireland is a big thorn in the side

The way London has treated Northern Ireland lately has provoked a lot of reactions. The Johnson administration wants to break free from its post-Brexit commitments to Northern Ireland. It is characteristic that the British Prime Minister speaks of "excessive demands" from the EU, although he himself has signed the agreement for his country's exit from the Union. The EU has already reacted strongly to Boris Johnson's stance, warning him that he would face sanctions if he did not honor the agreement. This was clarified by the EU leadership with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Council Charles Michel as well as the President of France Emanuel Macron and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel in their four contacts. separately today with Boris Johnson.

 

But the United States, in this case, is on the side of the Union, strongly advocating that nothing should be changed in this agreement as otherwise, as they point out, the Good Friday peace agreement, which ended a 30 years of violence and bloodshed between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland.

 

The expectations of the US and Great Britain

But beyond the talks, the outcome of which is eagerly awaited by the international community, it is worth noting that both Boris Johnson and Joe Biden have invested heavily in this summit. On the one hand, Johnson wants to make his country a world power - what he calls "Global Britain" - after the UK leaves the EU - and on the other, Joe Biden wants to "heal the wounds »Left abroad by Donald Trump's predecessor. The American president has made it clear in all directions that he wants to restore the wounded prestige of the USA. It is no coincidence that he made the first statement as soon as he set foot in Europe: "The United States is back."

 

But beyond their personal ambitions, the two leaders also have many common positions on a number of international issues that are expected to be discussed at the G7 summit these days. Among them is climate change, which they agree should address the immediate reduction of greenhouse gas emissions resulting in rising temperatures. Another issue on which their views coincide is the imposition of the global minimum corporate tax of 15% on multinational corporations. Finally, they agree on the attitude of the West towards Russia and China.

 

What is the G7?

It is an informal group, a forum, in which the leaders of the world's seven most industrialized nations participate. (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, USA). The European Union also participates in the G7, but because it is the only supranational organization and not a sovereign state, it is not counted in the members. That is why he does not take over the rotating presidency which is assigned to a different state every year. This year the presidency is held by the United Kingdom, next year it will be spent in Germany, in 2023 in Japan, etc.

 

It was founded in 1975 initially without Canada which was later added.

For a while, from 1998 to 2014, Russia also participated. The G8 was then formed but after the annexation of Crimea by the Russians, Moscow was excluded from the summit and returned to the world stage as a G7 group.

 

The G7 represents only 14% of the world's population, but the gross domestic product of its member states worldwide exceeds 60%. That is why it is often criticized as a club of rich countries that dominate the West.

 

Topics discussed include the international economy, international relations, climate change, education, etc. Decisions taken at G7 summits are not binding, however they are of great political importance as they determine the policy to be followed by the great powers and are often the forerunners of issues of concern to other international fora such as the G20.

 

Source: RES-EAP

 

*China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 

-중국의 일대일로는  중국의 시진핑 주석이 2013년에 처음 언급, 

육상과 해상에서 실크로드를 해서 사실 저개발 국가 인프라를 만들어가기 시작.  

 

*G7 leaders have launched a new global infrastructure initiative Build Back Better World (B3W) to help developing nations,

-G7리더가 추진하는 개발도상국의 새로운 글로벌 안프라 주도 전략 

 

 -영국이 한국을 비롯한 4개국 자유민주주의 국가를 게스트로 초청한 이유는  바로 D11로 가겠다는 의도.