The G20, the meeting between the leaders of 20 of the richest countries, emerging economies and some international institutions, which together represents over 80% of world GDP and 60 % of the planet’s population. It is the first meeting in the presence of world leaders in over two years. World leaders welcomed by Prime Minister Mario Draghi will discuss the fight against the pandemic and especially climate change, a central issue to be solved. WTO director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus were among the first to arrive. Among the last, the American president Biden. The presidents of China and Russia, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, participate in the summit remotely, with a video intervention.
G20, Draghi: “Multilateralism is the only possible answer”
“It’s nice to see you all here. The pandemic has divided us as it has done with all our citizens, ”the premier said in his opening speech. Pandemic, fair taxes, climate change, «the more we move forward with the challenges, the clearer it is that multilateralism is the best answer» and «moving forward alone is not an option. We must work to overcome our differences ». “Now we can finally look to the future with optimism. We must be aware of the challenges that await us because the pandemic is not over ».
Draghi: “Together we are building a new economic model”
“About two years after the start of the pandemic, we can finally look to the future with more optimism – said the Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, opening the meeting -. Successful vaccination campaigns and coordinated actions by governments and central banks have enabled the global economy to recover. Many of our countries have launched recovery plans to boost growth, reduce inequalities and promote sustainability. Together, we are building a new economic model and the whole world will benefit from it ».
Draghi on vaccines: “Unacceptable differences”
The prime minister then spoke of the importance of a fair distribution of vaccines. “We need to be alert to the challenges we face collectively. The pandemic is not over and there are staggering disparities in the global distribution of vaccines. In high-income countries, over 70% of the population has received at least one dose. In the poorest countries, this percentage drops to around 3%. These are morally unacceptable differences, and they undermine the global recovery ”. The premier said. “We are very close to reaching the WHO target of vaccinating 40% of the global population by the end of 2021. Now we must do everything possible to reach 70% by mid-2022”.
Dragons on climate: “You can’t be alone”
“From the pandemic to climate change, to fair and equitable taxation, doing everything alone is simply not an option. The G20 tax findings strongly remind us of what we can achieve together. They must encourage us to be equally ambitious in all areas in which we work together ».