G7 Summit in 2022 on Horizon

Many of the same issues appear on previous G7 Summit in 2022 agendas: eliminating inequality, boosting women’s equality, and strengthening global security, to name a few. 
 
The leaders of seven of the world’s economic and political giants have a long list of items on their must-do list this year, ranging from eliminating the COVID-19 epidemic to averting an approaching global food crisis to taking significant action on climate change. 
 
While the Group of 7 (G7) does not have the same power to enact global policy as organisations such as the United Nations, it does include countries with disproportionate global clout, such as Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as representatives from the European Union, which is invited to all G7 meetings with observer status. 
 
This year’s meeting, which will take place from June 26 to 28 at Schloss Elmau in Germany’s Bavarian Alps, is particularly important because, to put it bluntly, the world is facing a number of pressing challenges right now: climate change; Russia’s war in Ukraine and the looming global food crisis that could result; and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, to name a few — all of which are pushing increasing numbers of people into extreme poverty. 
 
So let’s look at what the G7 is and how it came to be; what the Leaders’ Summit will be focused on this year; and how we can all use our voices to encourage the G7 leaders to seize this chance to create genuine, good change. 
 
Following the 1973 oil crisis, finance ministers from six of the world’s most powerful economies — France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States – formalized informal discussions on the health of the global economy and international politics. 
 
The leaders had just seen how disruptions in a vital global commodity — oil — may result in massive job losses, rising inflation, and trade collapse.

G7 Summit in 2022

They sought to avoid a domino effect in the future.

As a result, they resolved to get on the same page and dubbed their meeting the “Group of 6” or G6. They addressed everything from global trade to the role of democracies to unemployment over the course of a few days in Rambouillet, France, in 1975. 
 
As a result, they resolved to get on the same page and dubbed their meeting the “Group of 6” or G6. They addressed everything from global trade to the role of democracies to unemployment over the course of a few days in Rambouillet, France, in 1975. 
 
The group has met on a regular basis since then, notably at the annual Leaders’ Summit, and its membership has changed over time. Canada joined the G7 in 1976, and Russia joined the G8 in 1994, making it the G8. After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the group was suspended, and the group was renamed G7, with extra European Union representatives. 
 
The G7 is a powerful international policy forum. Seven of the world’s nine largest economies, seven of the 15 countries with the highest per capita wealth, seven of the top ten exporters, and seven of the top ten UN funders make up the group. 
 
Even if the G7 didn’t exist, these countries would wield enormous influence over global economic goals. The G7, on the other hand, enhances individual influence and works as a stabilizing force in the midst of domestic power shifts. Members of the G7 often ask other leaders to attend, and they have backed a G20 offshoot to allow more countries to align on economic matters. 
 
The G7 presidency is rotated every year. The presiding country – Germany this year — holds a specific duty and can greatly influence the agenda because the group is only an informal association and not an institutionalized organization. 
 
Over the years, the G7 has dealt with topics such as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, debt relief for low-income nations, malaria and HIV/AIDS funding, and gender equality. However, the G7 has been chastised for prolonging global inequality by defending the status quo – the G7 accounts for only 10% of the world’s population — and for failing to adequately address global concerns such as climate change. In this explainer, you can learn more about what transpired at last year’s Leaders’ Summit in Cornwall, United Kingdom (spoiler: it was a disaster). 
 
This year, Germany has the G7 chair, and the new German government will have the opportunity to strive for global justice and address the world’s most serious concerns only a few months after entering office in December 2021. 
 
This year’s summit, which will take place against the backdrop of the Bavarian highlands, will focus on the conflict in Ukraine and its implications, including an oncoming global food crisis, the climate catastrophe, the ongoing fight against the COVID 19 pandemic, and economic cooperation. 
 
The G7 presidency spans the entire year, with the Leaders’ Summit in Elmau serving as the capstone. 
 
Multiple problems are currently undoing the tremendous progress made in recent decades on the route to eradicating extreme poverty, including wars and violent conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate change.

Covid-19 Pandemic

According to the World Bank, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced approximately 100 million people into extreme poverty. The World Food Programme estimates that 45 million people are on the verge of hunger. And, according to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the number of individuals displaced from their homes has just crossed 100 million for the first time, a “staggering” milestone. 
 
Now, more than ever, there is a pressing need to act. Because, in the midst of all the challenges, we must not lose sight of the importance of an equitable, sustainable, and healthy society.