WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today met with the Foreign Affairs Committee Chairs of the G7 and EU member states to discuss the upcoming G7 Summit. After the meeting, the lawmakers issued the following joint statement:
“This year’s G7 summit comes at a pivotal moment for the world. We, the G7 Foreign Affairs Committee Chairs of the United States of America, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, welcome the continued efforts of the G7 governments to seek joint responses to shared challenges. The G7 provides a vital forum for leading democracies to come together, and we encourage the G7 governments to make full use of this year’s summit to address the critical issues facing the international community of states. Essential to which is the need to build back better from the pandemic, setting a deliverable path to net zero, and form a robust defence of the values that bind democracies together.
GOAL ONE – Lessons from the Pandemic
No country has escaped the Covid-19 pandemic. The profound effect it has had on our societies has been felt in the tragedies families have had to endure and the toll it has taken on the global economy. Thanks to the skills of our scientists and the dedication of our medical teams, as we emerge from the pandemic, we can learn from the tough lessons of the crisis to build back stronger and smarter. We urge the G7 governments to deepen the cooperation of scientific communities, administrations, and individuals who have been force multipliers throughout the hardship. The pandemic has revealed that while individual responses may be warranted where national circumstances dictate, in mutual challenges we are only as strong as the weakest among us.
GOAL TWO – Vaccinate the world
Building on the work already done to ensure equitable access to vaccines through the February G7 meeting and the recent COVAX AMC Summit co-hosted by Japan and Gavi, we urge the G7 governments to secure access to vaccines across the world and each take their share of the burden in this joint effort. The effects of Covid-19 anywhere will not cease until they have been dealt with everywhere; sharing funding and access to vaccines will be a vital step towards global recovery.
GOAL THREE – Develop open technology standards
Future years will require a renewed emphasis on growth, jobs, and innovation. Technological leadership will be key to vitalizing our industries and shaping global politics. Quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and increased communications speed are set to radically change the global economy over coming decades. Their power in fuelling growth and challenging existing liberties cannot be overstated. We urge the G7 governments to lead to cooperate in setting global norms and standards that are in line with our values and interests, shaping our future and defending our interests encoded in the technology.
GOAL FOUR – Support economic recovery
To restore the public’s trust in the economy it will be necessary to ensure families feel confident they can provide for themselves and get a fair chance. Where communities have felt abandoned, we urge the G7 to work with like-minded states to form partnerships founded on mutual respect for the norms that govern trade to support an economic recovery for all.
GOAL FIVE – Secure level playing field for global trade
We welcome the recent communiqué by the G7 Trade Ministers calling for negotiations in response to market-distorting subsidies and trade-distorting actions by state enterprises. We urge ever closer co-operation between the G7 governments on addressing imbalances in global trade, and in tackling the challenge of autocratic regimes exploiting the openness of our economies for their own gain. We also welcome the emphasis on addressing the issue of forced labour in international supply chains and encourage the G7 governments to make full use of technological advancements to determine new standards that defend our economies against international corruption, crime, and exploitative practice.
GOAL SIX – Make carbon costs fully transparent
Nowhere is the need for cooperation more visible than in responding to climate change and environmental protection. COP26, under the joint presidency of the UK and Italy later this year in Glasgow, will provide the G7 governments with a key opportunity for action. The G7 are uniquely well-placed to make use of their economies, translating domestic innovation into modernisation, and use their diplomatic networks to negotiate the solutions of tomorrow to this complex crisis which is both social and environmental. We urge the G7 governments to set ambitious goals on environmental protection and ensure the real cost of carbon emissions is fully reflected in the value of goods and services and across supply chains.
GOAL SEVEN – Defend democratic values
The G7 are bound together by shared values that underpin our societies and our liberties including our parliamentary assemblies. These rights are under threat from the increasing assertiveness of autocratic regimes. We cannot afford to let the universality of human rights become an afterthought. We must be unwavering in our commitment to upholding the rule of law and encourage others to fulfil their responsibilities in upholding their citizens’ rights. We urge the G7 governments to unite with like-minded partners to form a robust defence of the rule of law, human rights and democracy, standing with the vulnerable where they are exploited and defending the rights of those who oppose the expansive and exploitative instincts of autocrats. To do anything else would leave us exposed abroad and undercut at home.
We wish the G7 governments a productive summit and look forward to co-operating on the legislation that ensues to achieve these goals and the prosperity, inclusion, and happiness of all our citizens.”
The statement was issued by:
Senator Bob Menendez
Chairman, United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Sven Spengemann MP
Chair, Canadian Parliament
David McAllister MEP
Chair, European Parliament
Jean-Louis Bourlanges
Chair, French National Assembly
Dr Norbert Röttgen MdB
Chair, German Bundestag
Piero Fassino MP
Chair, Italian Chamber of Deputies
ABE Toshiko MP
Chair, Japanese House of Representatives
Tom Tugendhat MP
Chair, UK Parliament
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