G20 leaders’ summit begins in Rome / Article

The G20 summit begins in RomeUģis Lībietis00:00 / 00:00

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Due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, this will be the first face-to-face meeting of G20 leaders in two years. And, according to Politico, this summit could be called a survival summit. If, two years ago at the Osaka Summit, world leaders promised to promote economic growth, with a special focus on innovative technologies that would benefit everyone, this time the focus is on more existential issues. Namely, thousands of people continue to die every day as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but the increasingly threatening climate change may lead to the extinction of all humankind in the future.

It is precisely the fight against Covid-19 and climate change that worries the world’s governments the most, especially since overcoming the climate crisis will be discussed at the UN Climate Conference in Glasgow early next week. However

commentators point out that this time the leaders of the world’s great powers are in a rather controversial situation.

On the one hand, it is recognized that neither crisis can be overcome on a country-by-country basis and that cooperation is needed. On the other hand, it is the richer countries that are being criticized for their selfish policies to combat Covid-19, judging by the third dose of the booster vaccine at a time when the world’s first dose has been well received by half the population. The same is true of the fight against climate change, as many of the most economically developed countries are among the biggest polluters of the atmosphere, and their ambitions to reduce harmful emissions are often undermined by their economic interests.

On the eve of the meeting, the leaders of the countries were also addressed by the UN Secretary General Antoniu Gutērres, emphasizing the need for cooperation.

“We are seeing huge mistrust between the great powers and the G20. This is also the case between developed and developing countries, as well as emerging economies. Therefore, the overriding goal of this G20 summit must be to restore confidence by tackling the main sources of mistrust geopolitical fragmentation, “said Guterrez.

Geopolitical rivalry is certainly, first and foremost, the juxtaposition of Russia and China with the rest of the Western world. Commentators emphasize that US President Joe Biden, who will be attending the G20 summit as US president for the first time, could be in a slightly better position this time around. Furthermore, he has made no secret of his desire to re-establish relations with his allies in Europe, which have been severely damaged in recent years, and not only by taking ambitious initiatives to combat climate change. On the other hand, these initiatives are not taken with open arms at all, even in the United States itself. The fact that neither Chinese President Xi Jinpin nor Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the summit in person could add additional points to Biden’s message.

As is customary during such summits, a number of large-scale demonstrations are taking place in Rome today. Fearing possible clashes, more than five thousand police officers take care of security in the city, but this time the summit venue itself has been chosen outside the city center.

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