G20 Summit Highlights: PM Modi with other world leaders.
Leaders of the G20, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have agreed that the WHO would be strengthened to fast-track the process for emergency use authorisation for COVID-19 vaccines, India's G20 Sherpa Piyush Goyal said.
Briefing the media, Mr Goyal said the leaders adopted the Rome Declaration at the G20 Summit and the communique gives a very strong message under the health section with the countries agreeing that COVID-19 immunization is a global public good.
It was decided that the recognition of Covid vaccines which are deemed to be safe and efficacious by the World Health Organisation (WHO) will be mutually accepted subject to national and privacy laws that the countries may have, Mr Goyal said.
Meeting in person for the first time in two years, G20 leaders had a full agenda including climate change, the Covid pandemic, a landmark tax deal and global economy worries. Leaders committed to the key Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, pledged action against dirty coal plants, but fell short on a target of zero emissions.
India has asked developed nations that have "enjoyed the fruits of energy" to reach net zero faster so that emerging economies use some "carbon space" to drive growth.
Here are Highlights on G20 Summit:
PM Modi leaves for UN's COP26 in Glasgow after taking part in key G20 SummitAfter taking part in the key G-20 summit and other bilaterals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday departed for Glasgow to participate in the crucial 26th session of the Conference of Parties (COP-26) and hold other meetings.
Looking forward to meeting again in Indonesia in 2022 and in India in 2023: G20 leadersAs the G-20 Summit in Rome came to a close on Sunday, the leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies said they are looking forward to meeting again in Indonesia in 2022 and in India in 2023, while New Delhi asserted that it will continue to represent the voice of the developing world and protect the interests of humanity.
In its Rome declaration, the G-20 leaders also said they look ahead to Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics 2022, as opportunities for competition for athletes from around the world, which serves as a symbol of humanity's resilience.
"We thank the international organizations and the G20 Engagement Groups for their valuable inputs and policy recommendations. We thank Italy for its Presidency, for successfully hosting the Global Health Summit, co-Chaired with the European Commission, and the Rome Leaders'' Summit, and for its contribution to the G20 process, and we look forward to meeting again in Indonesia in 2022, in India in 2023 and in Brazil in 2024," the declaration stated.
UN's Guterres says G20 climate hopes "unfulfilled, but not buried"UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday the G20 summit had not gone far enough in advancing climate goals, but he still had hope in leaders heading to Glasgow for COP26.
"While I welcome the G20's recommitment to global solutions, I leave Rome with my hopes unfulfilled -- but at least they are not buried," he said on Twitter.
PM Modi, UK counterpart to meet in Glasgow: Indian envoyPrime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart Boris Johnson will be meeting at the upcoming 26th session of the Conference of Parties (COP-26) in Glasgow.
"This will be a multilateral event but this will be an opportunity for prime ministers of India and UK to sit together and review the implementation, the progress that had been made on the roadmap 2030 in May 2021," High Commissioner of India to UK Gaitri Issar Kumar said.
"And a lot has happened since then, in trade and finance and defence and security sectors. We will have the opportunity to talk about regional and global issues of shared interest, particularly in the health care sector, about mutual recognition of vaccine certification on both sides and of course climate action," the high commissioner added.
Meanwhile, India and the UK are also announcing a joint declaration on "One Sun, One World, One Grid".
Union Minister Piyush Goyal at G20 Sherpa's Special Briefing:
Addressing the G20 Sherpa's special briefing from Rome, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said:
- This G20 has delivered a strong message of recovery from the pandemic
- Leaders adopted the Rome declaration at the summit
- Last night, there was not a wink of sleep - final declaration agreed upon by all stakeholders this morning
- We agreed COVID-19 immunization is for greater public good, mutual acceptance for vaccines
- It has been agreed everybody will help to optimize the process and procedure for WTO - for vaccine approval
- We have also agreed to suspend debt repayment at this critical time
- On agriculture: Livelihoods for small and marginal farmers our focus
- Energy and climate center stage of our discussion
- India pushed for safeguarding interests of developing world - For the first time, G20 has identified sustainable and responsible consumption as critical enablers for achieving climate goals.
Italy is holding the Presidency of the G20 this year under the theme- 'People, Planet, Prosperity' with a focus on: "Recovery from the pandemic & strengthening global health governance, Economic recovery & resilience, Climate change & energy transition and Sustainable development & food security".
G20 leaders "failed to meet the moment": Environmental group GreenpeaceG20 leaders meeting in Rome committed to the key goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and pledged action on the use of coal, but fell short on a target of zero emissions, according to a final draft communique.
Environmental campaign group Greenpeace slammed the final statement as "weak, lacking both ambition and vision", saying G20 leaders "failed to meet the moment".
"If the G20 was a dress rehearsal for COP26, then world leaders fluffed their lines," said Executive Director Jennifer Morgan.
Friederike Roder, senior director at anti-poverty group Global Citizen, told AFP the summit had produced "half-measures rather than concrete actions".
However, French President Emmanuel Macron had earlier said it was too early to write off the success of the Glasgow talks.
Joe Biden at G20 says US-EU reaching "new era" of cooperationUS President Joe Biden said Sunday the United States and European Union were entering a "new era of transatlantic cooperation" after parties agreed to end a dispute over steel and aluminium.
"The United States and the European Union are ushering in a new era of transatlantic cooperation that's going to benefit all of our people, both now and I believe in the years to come," Biden said after meeting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
G20 to end finance for dirty coal plants abroad by year-end: DraftThe world's most advanced nations will stop financing "unabated" coal plants abroad by year's end, G20 leaders wrote in a draft statement Sunday seen by AFP.
The G20 will "put an end to the provision of international public finance for new unabated coal power generation abroad by the end of 2021," said the draft, referring to fossil fuels whose emissions have not gone through any filtering process.
Update: G20 agrees on 1.5 degree climate change target: sourcesG20 leaders have reached an agreement on limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, three sources close to summit negotiations told AFP on Sunday.
The sources said leaders approved language going beyond what was agreed in the 2015 Paris Accords, which called for capping global warming at well below 2 degrees, and ideally closer to 1.5 degrees.
Read more. PM Modi To Attend Second Session Of G20 Summit On Climate ChangePrime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to attend the second session of the G20 Summit at Rome on climate change on Sunday. He will begin his third day in Rome by visiting the historical centre - the Trevi Fountain. The historical Trevi Fountain has drawn many filmmakers to it who have popularised the Baroque art-styled monument as the epitome of a place of romance.
The PM is also slated to attend a session to discuss Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under Agenda 2030 that has its own set of 17 targets and 244 indicators, universal in nature, thereby, providing a worldwide accepted framework of development.
What is G20?
The G20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union. Members of the international forum account for more than 80 per cent of world GDP, 75 per cent of global trade and 60 per cent of the population of the planet.
PM Modi to hold bilateral talks with Spain
PM Modi will today hold a bilateral meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and also meet outgoing Chancellor of Germany Angela Markel.
PM Narendra Modi will begin his third day in Rome by visiting the historical centre - the Trevi Fountain. The historical Trevi Fountain has drawn many filmmakers to it who have popularised the Baroque art-styled monument as the epitome of a place of romance.