G-20 summit opens as leaders urge united response to virus

Dubai, November 22 

The Group of 20 summits opened on Saturday with appeals by the world’s strongest leaders to collectively chart a means ahead because the coronavirus pandemic overshadows this yr’s gathering, remodeling it from in-person conferences to a digital gathering of speeches and declarations.

The pandemic, which has claimed greater than 1.37 million lives worldwide, has provided the G-20 a chance to show how such our bodies can facilitate worldwide cooperation in crises — however has additionally underscored their shortcomings.

“We have a duty to rise to the challenge together during this summit and give a strong message of hope and reassurance,” Saudi Arabia’s King Salman mentioned within the summit’s opening remarks.

While G-20 international locations have contributed billions of {dollars} towards growing a vaccine for the virus, they’ve additionally largely centered on securing their very own vaccine provides. Countries corresponding to Britain, the U.S., France and Germany — all G-20 member states — have instantly negotiated offers with pharmaceutical firms to obtain billions of doses, that means that the overwhelming majority of the world’s vaccine provide subsequent yr is already reserved.

U.S. President Donald Trump highlighted what the U.S. has carried out to answer the coronavirus and rebuild the economic system and work on vaccines, that are anticipated to grow to be accessible quickly, based on White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Trump, nevertheless, appeared to not have acknowledged that Joe Biden gained this month’s presidential election.

“It’s been a great honour to work with you and I look forward to working with you again for a long time,” Trump mentioned, based on audio obtained by The Guardian. The South China Morning Post reported related feedback.

A day earlier than the summit, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres mentioned that whereas USD 10 billion has been invested in efforts to develop vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics, one other $28 billion is required for mass manufacturing, procurement and supply of recent COVID-19 vaccines around the globe.

Guterres referred to as on extra G-20 nations to hitch COVAX, a global initiative to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to international locations worldwide. The United States has declined to hitch beneath Trump.

The pandemic has had a far-reaching financial influence on growing international locations and pushed hundreds of thousands into excessive poverty. It has additionally plagued the world’s wealthiest nations, with 9 G-20 international locations rating highest globally for essentially the most instances of COVID-19 recorded. The United States tops the record, adopted by India, Brazil, France, Russia, Spain, the U.Ok., Argentina and Italy, based on a rely stored by Johns Hopkins University.

Three G-20 leaders collaborating within the summit have been contaminated by the coronavirus this yr: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Trump.

The virus exhibits no indicators of abating as main cities within the U.S. and Europe deliver again lockdowns and curfews. The World Health Organization says extra instances of COVID-19 have been reported up to now 4 weeks than within the first six months of the pandemic.

The International Labor Organization says an equal of 225 million full-time jobs had been misplaced in G-20 international locations alone within the third quarter of 2020. G-20 member-countries signify round 85 per cent of the world’s financial output and three-quarters of worldwide commerce.

In an indication of the instances, the normal “family photo” of leaders within the summit was digitally designed and superimposed on a historic web site simply exterior the Saudi capital, Riyadh, which might have hosted the gathering. The kingdom has presided over the G-20 this yr.

As a part of the summit, seven leaders launched video messages on “Pandemic Preparedness and Response”. France’s President Emmanuel Macron warned of the challenges in acquiring “universal access to health technologies against COVID-19”. German Chancellor Angela Merkel referred to as for strengthening the World Health Organization and harassed the pandemic can solely be overcome if an reasonably priced vaccine is offered to all nations.

In a video assertion launched forward of the summit, Johnson appealed to world leaders to harness the assets of the world’s wealthiest nations to finish the COVID-19 pandemic and deal with local weather change.

“Our fates are in each other’s hands,” mentioned Johnson, who plans to attend two digital occasions on the summit whereas self-isolating at residence in London after coming into contact with somebody who examined positive for COVID-19.

Bolsonaro, who spent months downplaying the severity of the virus whereas deaths mounted quickly inside Brazil, emphasised in a video message that world leaders “ought to deal with folks’s well being and of the economic system on the similar time.” President Trump additionally participated within the closed-door digital periods which are going down Saturday and Sunday. It doesn’t seem that any leaders dropped out of the summit, regardless of calls by rights teams, lawmakers and EU parliamentarians for leaders to boycott the gathering to protest Saudi Arabia’s human rights file and conflict in Yemen.

G-20 heads of state final gathered just about for an emergency assembly in March because the coronavirus was fast-spreading around the globe. At the time, they vowed “to do whatever it takes to overcome the pandemic.” —AP