Since President Biden took office, revitalizing our alliances and partnerships and reestablishing America’s leadership around the world has been one of his top priorities. The G7 Summit in Hiroshima showed that the G7 are more united than ever: united on Ukraine, united on China, united on economic security, united on building the clean energy economies of the future, united on nuclear disarmament, and united on fighting poverty and responding to global challenges like the climate crisis around the world.

 

United on Ukraine

 

G7 Leaders set forth a powerful statement of unity strength and commitment in our response to Russia’s war of aggression.  Leaders announced a set of concrete actions to intensify the G7’s diplomatic, financial, humanitarian and security support for Ukraine, to increase the costs to Russia and those supporting its war efforts, and to continue to counter the negative impacts of Russia’s war on the rest of the world, particularly on the most vulnerable people.

 

New sanctions and export controls. G7 Leaders announced new steps to economically isolate Russia and weaken its ability to wage its war. They announced new efforts to further disrupt Russia’s ability to source inputs for its war; close evasion loopholes; further reduce reliance on Russian energy and limit its future extractive capacity; and squeeze Russia’s access to the international financial system. G7 leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to keep Russia’s sovereign assets immobilized until Russia pays for the damage it has caused.  To implement these commitments, the Departments of Treasury, State, and Commerce rolled out new sanctions packages including by expanding our broad restrictions, cutting off over 70 companies from Russia and other countries from receiving U.S. exports, and sanctioning upwards of 300 individuals, entities, vessels, and aircraft, including actors across the globe.

Discussing peace with a broad range of partners.  The G7 leaders met with the leaders of Ukraine, Australia, Brazil, the Cook Islands, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, and Vietnam to discuss international peace and security.  The leaders issued an Action Plan on Food Security that notes, “Especially in light of its impact on food security and the humanitarian situation around the world, we support a just and durable peace based on respect for international law, principles of the UN charter and territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

United on China

 

G7 Leaders affirmed that G7 countries are not decoupling from China or turning inwards. At the same time, G7 Leaders recognized the need to respond to concerns and to stand up for our core values.  

 

Economic security issues. The G7 will push for a level playing field for their workers and companies and seek to address the challenges posed by China’s non-market policies and practices and foster resilience to economic coercion. They recognized the necessity of protecting certain advanced technologies that could be used to threaten our national security.

Indo-pacific. Leaders reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and called for a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues. They highlighted that there is no change in the basic positions of the G7 members on Taiwan. They registered their serious concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and reaffirmed their strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.

Core values. G7 Leaders voiced concerns about the human rights situation in China, and called on China not to conduct interference activities or undermine the integrity of our democratic institutions.

United on Economic Resilience and Economic Security

 

G7 Leaders took steps to enhance strategic coordination on economic resilience and economic security by strengthening supply chains, reducing vulnerabilities and countering malign practices that exploit and reinforce them.

 

Protecting critical and emerging technologies. President Biden has taken action in the United States to protect certain dual use technologies from falling into the hands of strategic rivals. In Hiroshima, G7 Leaders affirmed that this is a common interest across G7 countries. To this end, the Leaders further recognized that addressing risks from outbound investment could be important to complement existing tools of targeted controls on exports and inbound investments.

Launching the G7 Coordination Platform on Economic Coercion. G7 Leaders launched the Coordination Platform on Economic Coercion to increase collective assessment, preparedness, deterrence and response to economic coercion.

United on Building the Clean Energy Economies of the Future

 

At home, President Biden has delivered on an ambitious clean energy agenda that is centered around bold public investment and working with partners to build secure and resilient supply chains. In Hiroshima, G7 Leaders outlined the way that G7 partners are working to meet the moment in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement, to build secure and resilient supply chains, and to ensure strong industrial bases across G7 countries.

 

Maximizing the impact of incentives. Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, this was the first G7 Summit where the President of the United States could unambiguously say that the United States is on a path to meet our Paris Climate commitments. G7 Leaders recognized that achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement urgently requires significant new incentives, industrial policies, and public as well as private investments. Leaders committed to work together to ensure regulations and investments will make clean energy technologies more affordable for all nations and help drive a global, just energy transition for workers and communities that will leave no one behind.

United on an Affirmative and Ambitious Development Agenda

 

President Biden has championed an affirmative and ambitious agenda to support developing countries, including through reaffirming our support for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and working to create fiscal space for increased domestic investments in key development priorities. In Hiroshima, G7 Leaders emphasized the need to unlock investments and policy reforms to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), including by investing in more resilient food and health systems, and by addressing the effects of climate change.

 

Tackling rising levels of debt. G7 Leaders highlighted their concern that serious challenges to debt sustainability are undermining the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. They reiterated the urgency of addressing debt vulnerabilities in low- and middle-income countries and their full support of the G20’s effort to improve the implementation of the Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) in a predictable, timely, orderly and coordinated manner, providing clarity to participants.

Promoting the evolution of the multilateral development banks (MDBs). G7 Leaders noted their strong support for the efforts underway by multilateral development banks to review and transform their business models to better address global challenges such as climate change, pandemics, fragility and conflict, which are integral to achieving poverty reduction and shared prosperity.  They encouraged MDBs to expedite this ongoing work. They looked to further progress on the World Bank’s evolution agenda toward the 2023 WBG and IMF Annual Meetings and beyond.

Reversing the first global decline in life expectancy in nearly a century. G7 leaders committed to work with global partners to restore access to essential health services to better than pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2025, and to strengthen primary health care delivery, including by investing in health workers, in order to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage. The United States is providing approximately $10 billion in global health program funding with Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 funds, much of which supports essential health services, including addressing HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, expanding access to water and sanitation, and supporting maternal and child health. One year ago, the President also launched the Global Health Worker Initiative, which aims to address the global shortage of health workers.  

Investing in health security with U.S. contribution of $250 Million to the Pandemic Fund. The President announced that the United States plans to provide a $250 million contribution in Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations, subject to Congressional notification, to the Pandemic Fund to demonstrate the United States’ ongoing commitment to strengthening global health security around the world. This planned investment in the Pandemic Fund will continue to serve as a catalyst for additional contributions from other donors. The United States is committed to providing greater investments in health security to help break the cycle of panic and neglect in the wake of health emergencies.

Launching the Hiroshima Action Statement for Resilient Global Food Security with partner countries to address needs today and into the future.  G7 Leaders reaffirmed their continued commitment to address global food insecurity and the need to build more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive food systems. G7 leaders have exceeded the $14 billion commitment announced at the 2022 G7 Elmau Summit, mobilizing $14.9 billion for food security.  The United States remains the global leader on food security. Since the beginning of 2022, the United States has provided over $13.5 billion in acute and medium to long term assistance for food security.

Showing Tangible Progress at the PGII One-Year Mark

 

One year after G7 Leaders announced PGII as the G7’s collective infrastructure initiative, G7 Leaders demonstrated that PGII is making concrete progress.

 

Collaborating with partners. During the Summit, G7 Leaders were joined by leaders of [Australia, Brazil, Comoros, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, and the World Bank]. They were also joined by private sector executives of Citi, Global Infrastructure Partners, Japan Foreign Trade Council, and Nokia to reaffirm their commitment to opening a serious, sustainable channel for unlocking public and private capital for these projects in the developing world.

Launching new projects. To date, the United States has mobilized $30 billion through grants, federal financing, and leveraging private sector investments towards PGII. President Biden announced new projects and highlighted the impact of several projects announced since PGII’s launch at the 2022 G7 Summit.

Announcing a PGII Investor Forum. The President announced that the United States will seek to launch an annual Investor Forum to enable the United States Government to more comprehensively de-risk capital, play a matchmaking role between investors and opportunities that advance PGII, and hear feedback on how it can continue to refine the PGII model to maximize its effectiveness.

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MAY 21, 2023

Readout of President Biden’s Meeting with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea

 

STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

President Biden met today with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea in Hiroshima, Japan. He commended Prime Minister Kishida and President Yoon on their courageous work to improve their bilateral ties, noting that our trilateral partnership and the Indo-Pacific are stronger because of their efforts. The leaders discussed how to take their trilateral cooperation to new heights, including with new coordination in the face of the DPRK’s illicit nuclear and missile threats, on economic security, and on their respective Indo-Pacific Strategies.

 

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MAY 20, 2023

FACT SHEET: Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment at the G7 Summit

 

At the 2023 G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, G7 leaders affirmed their commitment to identify new opportunities to scale the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), President Biden and the G7’s flagship infrastructure initiative which has attracted major investors to better respond to the global demand for high quality infrastructure financing, in low- and middle-income countries.

 

Since its launch, G7 Leaders have, through PGII, started to work towards the goal to mobilize hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure financing – delivering energy, physical, digital, health, and climate-resilient infrastructure. This work is done with a real focus on advancing gender equality and equity, raising labor and environmental standards and promoting transparency, governance, and anti-corruption measures.

 

During the Summit, G7 Leaders were joined by leaders and senior officials of Australia, Comoros, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, and the World Bank. They were also joined by private sector executives of Citi, Global Infrastructure Partners, Japan Foreign Trade Council, and Nokia to reaffirm their commitment to opening a serious, sustainable channel for unlocking public and private capital for these projects in the developing world.

 

Together, they identified methods to further mobilize infrastructure investment, with a particular focus on leveraging private capital to maximize the project pipeline. The leaders also showcased how PGII is connecting and catalyzing like-minded countries, the private sector, multilateral development banks, and development finance institutions to drive investment in quality global infrastructure.

 

The United States announced a series of new PGII announcements to build out transformative economic corridors through PGII and drive infrastructure investments that can boost and connect economic development across multiple countries and sectors.

 

To date, the United States has mobilized $30 billion through grants, federal financing, and leveraging private sector investments towards PGII.

 

President Biden also announced new projects and highlighted the impact of several projects announced since PGII’s launch at the 2022 G7 Summit, showcasing how the U.S. Government (USG) is collaborating with partners to develop transformative ecosystems of infrastructure investment that support inclusive growth, benefit partners’ economic security, diversify our global supply chains, and create new opportunities for American workers and businesses.

 

U.S. private sector representatives from Citi and Global Infrastructure Partners delivered remarks and highlighted key flagship projects worth $4 billion that demonstrate how PGII aims to mobilize the private sector as drivers of quality global infrastructure and investment. GIP also expects to deploy over $20 billion in projects that will advance PGII over the next 10 years.  

 

The incoming White House Senior Advisor to the President for Energy and Investment, Amos Hochstein, will join the newly designated group of G7 senior government officials who will provide strategic direction to drive PGII investments with partners, including the private sector.

 

The United States will seek to launch an annual Investor Forum to enable the USG to more comprehensively de-risk capital, play a matchmaking role between investors and opportunities that advance PGII, and hear feedback on how it can continue to refine the PGII model to maximize its effectiveness.

President Biden also announced new PGII projects that reflect how the USG is working with partners to better mobilize capital for infrastructure in emerging markets.

 

Investments in Key Economic Corridors: Creating and strengthening economic corridors that connect economies through key transportation infrastructure; making clean electricity more affordable, reliable and available to all; bringing information and communications technology (ICT) network solutions to rural communities; integrating agricultural hubs to increase regional food security, improve access to health care; and aggregating demand for clean energy solutions to fuel these corridors and service local communities.

 

As an example, the United States is supporting the development of the Lobito Corridor with an initial investment in a rail expansion that may become the primary open access transportation infrastructure connecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia with global markets through Angola.  PGII is actively pursuing additional opportunities to connect the initial Lobito Corridor investments across the continent, to Tanzania and, ultimately, the Indian Ocean.

 

Initial investments include:

 

Rail Consortium:  The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is currently performing due diligence for a potential financing package of $250 million to finance the Lobito Atlantic Railway Corridor – an open access rail line from Lobito Port in Angola to the DRC border. This deal would be the DFC’s first investment in rail on the continent. This project is the first step to connect and develop trading and economic activity from Angola to the DRC, that can help promote greater investments in agriculture, digital infrastructure, and expanded access to electricity.  

 

Solar Deployment: The Export-Import Bank of the United States (U.S. EXIM) approved for Congressional notification an initial $900 million in financing for two solar projects that were announced at the 2022 G7 Summit by the Government of Angola, U.S. firm AfricaGlobal Schaffer, and U.S. project developer Sun Africa. Together, the projects will generate over 500 megawatts of renewable power; provide access to clean energy resources across Angola; help Angola meet its climate commitments; and support exports of U.S. solar panels, connectors, switches, sensors, and other equipment.

 

Digital:  Under PGII, the USG will work to construct data centers throughout Africa. This week, DFC announced it is using its $300 million loan facility to Africa Data Centers (ADCs), Africa’s largest network of interconnected data facilities, to construct a first-of-its kind data center in Ghana. Africa accounts for less than one percent of total available global data center capacity despite being home to 17 percent of the world’s total population. This investment builds on the Vice President’s recent trip to Ghana and is laying the groundwork for a digital revolution on the continent by increasing access to cloud-based technologies, bringing down the cost of internet, which facilitate greater access to women, and making the continent a more competitive destination for industry.

 

DFC, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) are supporting investments in digital infrastructure and improved access to digital services in Angola and the DRC. Expanding on the DFC’s existing financing for telecom provider Africell in the DRC, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia, U.S. EXIM is continuing its due diligence for a new transaction supporting the expansion of wireless services, and USAID is announcing a digital payments initiative with Africell in Angola. Together, these projects aim to provide fast and reliable internet to individuals and companies across the Lobito Corridor and expand access to mobile money services in rural areas.

 

In the DRC, USTDA and USAID are providing early-stage support to advance the expansion of last-mile connectivity with Jenny Internet, fiber network expansion to connect more than 30 towns with Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group, expansion of rural internet connectivity for half a million people with DRC-based internet service provider Global Broadband Solution SARL, and piloting of U.S. firm Parallel Wireless’ Open Radio Access Networks equipment with Vodacom DRC in five villages.   

 

Project Preparation: USTDA is providing feasibility studies in Kenya to expand and improve healthcare access in partnership with the Kenya Hospital Association; deploy affordable fixed wireless internet across the region; revive Kenya’s natural insecticide industry while supporting small-scale farmers; and develop a 50-megawatt wind and battery storage plant bringing projects that will bring 50 megawatts of new clean energy capacity to the country.

 

U.S. EXIM Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tanzania: During the Vice President’s recent trip to the region, U.S. EXIM and the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania announced a MOU to facilitate up to $500 million in U.S. export financing to Tanzania. The MOU will support PGII projects and investments by deepening the commercial relationship between the two countries and exports in a variety of sectors, including infrastructure, transportation, digital technology, climate and energy security, and power generation and distribution projects.

 

Clean Energy Supply Chains:  The United States facilitated a strategic partnership between Life Zone Metals and TechMet, a leading critical minerals company supported by a DFC equity investment. DFC is the company’s second largest shareholder. During the Vice President’s trip, Life Zone Metals announced a Framework Agreement with the Tanzanian Government to open a new multi-metals processing facility that will use innovative, low-emission technology to process nickel and other critical minerals mined in Tanzania, targeting delivery of battery grade nickel to the global market as soon as 2026. The partnership will also work to identify additional opportunities across the region for critical mineral inputs to the new facility. These efforts are aimed at building and expanding resilient, transparent supply chains for clean energy technology that are based on extensive local engagement, respect for the environment and conservation, and safe, high-integrity labor practices.

Supporting Small Modular Reactor (SMR) progress: PGII supports the development and deployment of full clean energy supply chain solutions at a global scale. Part of those efforts include small modular reactors, which offer a lower initial capital investment, greater scalability, potential for enhanced safety and security, and siting flexibility for locations unable to accommodate more traditional larger reactors. Deployment of advanced SMRs can help drive sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Initial investments include:

 

Indonesia: Since launching the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) at the 2022 G20 Summit, the United States announced a joint U.S.-Indonesia partnership to support Indonesia as a first mover in the region on SMR deployment in ASEAN markets, using safe and secure American technology from U.S. company NuScale Power. The pilot includes: (1) an additional $1 million in targeted support from the Department of State to establish technical and regulatory capability to develop an SMR program, and (2) a USTDA $2.4 million SMR feasibility study. DFC has also signed a Letter of Interest to support SMR development in Indonesia. The United States continues to support clean energy supply chains and deployment in Indonesia as part of PGII, including both through the JETP and other on-going engagements.

 

Romania: Building on previous U.S. Government support to develop Romania’s first-of-a-kind SMR plant using U.S. firm NuScale Power technology and Fluor Corporation engineering and construction services, the U.S. EXIM issued a Letter of Interest for potential support for up to $99 million to RoPower Nuclear S.A. for design studies – alongside expressions of interest from public and private partners from Japan, Republic of Korea, and United Arab Emirates – together amounting to up to $275 million in early-stage support. These commitments, along with new pledges by Romania, support procurement of long lead materials, completion of the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) analysis, provision of project management experts, and regulatory site activities. In addition, the DFC and the U.S. EXIM also issued letters of interest for potential support of up to $1 billion and $3 billion, respectively, for project deployment. When built, the SMR will pave the way for new innovative energy technologies, accelerate the clean energy transition, create thousands of jobs, and strengthen European energy security while upholding the highest standards for nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation.

Additional notable PGII investments this year include:

 

Expanding Digital Access in Costa Rica: The United States is working with the Government of Costa Rica on enhancing digital security and connectivity in the country. Initial PGII investments include:

 

Cybersecurity assistance: The Department of State will provide approximately $25 million in funding to strengthen Costa Rica’s cyber defense capabilities, including training operations, hardware, software and long-term capacity building.  

 

Technical Assistance: USTDA is providing technical assistance to the Costa Rican Electricity Institute to develop a monitoring and diagnostic system to enhance the utility’s management of its power generation, transmission, and distribution assets.

 

Financing support for 5G expansion: U.S. EXIM has issued a letter of interest to provide financing to support the Costa Rican Electricity Institute’s 5G development.

Ecuador Yilport Port: Two weeks ago, DFC announced that it committed $150 million in financing to Yilport Terminal Operations to expand and modernize the Puerto Bolívar container port in Ecuador. The port sits near Ecuador’s major agricultural zones that produce over 50 percent of the country’s total agricultural output and employ nearly 10 percent of the population. Port expansion and supporting investment in cold storage will enhance Ecuador’s agricultural sector, diversify and strengthen global food security, and sustain and create local jobs. It is also projected to catalyze up to $750 million of foreign direct investment.

 

Additional Commitments from the Private Sector: Investment in global infrastructure will require more than just the resources of the USG and G7 partners. Through PGII, the United States welcomes public and private sector stakeholders leveraging their expertise and networks to advance complex transactions and strategic joint ventures to drive quality infrastructure investments in low- and middle-income countries.

 

For example, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) highlighted roughly $2.5 billion of investments that were recently announced or completed and align with PGII, advancing high quality infrastructure assets in the energy, transportation, digital, and water and waste sectors, including: 

 

The construction of over 1 gigawatt of power in Brazil and plans to invest over $5 billion through Atlas Renewable Energy over the next five years to bring online more than 5 gigawatts of new renewable capacity across the region.  

 

Financial close of the Gudadur 176 MW solar-wind hybrid renewable energy project with Vena Energy in the Indian state of Karnataka, which will generate enough clean energy to power 500,000 households yearly.

 

Support for the addition of 10,000 telecom towers for Ascend Telecom in India that will help provide passive telecommunication infrastructure services to all four of India’s mobile network operators.  

Additionally, to facilitate investment that is critical to the transition to a globally connected, digitized, and sustainable economy, Citi is deploying innovative financing models such as green bonds and revolving credit facilities. Citi highlighted roughly $1.6 billion of investments that were recently announced or completed and align with PGII, including:  

 

Supporting, with IDB Invest, a Sustainability-Linked Bond as part of a $450 million financing package to increase digital access and broadband quality in Costa Rica, that will help close the digital divide.  

 

Launch of Indonesia’s state-owned geothermal developer first green bond worth approximately $400 million, helping to lead in green energy and expand geothermal operations in Indonesia.

 

A sustainability-linked revolving credit facility of $125 million that will support Airtel Africa’s operations and investments in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, and Nigeria. To increase social impact, the facility supports digital inclusion and gender diversity investments with a concentration on rural regions and women.  

 

Construction of a $346 million Wind Farm complex in Brazil, which will provide clean energy and help reduce the carbon footprint of the local aluminum industry.  

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MAY 20, 2023

Remarks by President Biden at the Partnership for
Global Infrastructure and Investment Meeting

 

SPEECHES AND REMARKS

Grand Prince Hotel

Hiroshima, Japan

 

5:42 P.M. JST

 

THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister.

 

Nearly one year ago, we made a commitment to commit not only to build a better infrastructure but to build a better future, one rooted in opportunity, security, and prosperity for all.

 

And thanks to all the public and private partners around this table and many more around the world, we’ve already begun to deliver.

 

Together, we’ve initiated quality and sustainable infrastructure projects across Africa, Asia, and the Americas. And we’re strengthening our shared climate security, health security, and food security, and economic security. All four are critical.

 

We started to engage more private investors to better de-risk and leverage additional capital. And I see at least two from the United States here that are de-risking a lot. (Laughs.)

 

And I’m proud to announce that the United States has already mobilized more than $30 billion in investments to date. And we’re just getting started.

 

Together, we have a lot of work to do to close the infrastructure gap and for — in low- and middle-income countries. And as we begin the next year, our partnership — we need to find new ways — new ways to maximize investments — our investments.

 

That’s why, moving forward, the United States will enhance our focus on investing in key economic corridors. In practice, that means making game-changing investments in regions that could lead to positive impacts across multiple sectors in multiple countries.

 

We’ve already started working with our partners to make this happen. For example, in Sub-Saharan Africa, the U.S. Development Finance Corporation is looking to invest in this first railway project on the continent. The rail line would extend from the western shores of Angola to the border of the DRC and Zambia, with the goal of ultimately reaching the Indian Ocean, connecting the continent east to west for the first time.

 

This project would not only quickly promote trade and create jobs. Over time, in my view, it will strengthen supply chains, incentive — and incentivize investments in agriculture, and promote food security. And it’s going to enable, in my view, us to better access clean energy and digital connectivity across the entire region, creating more security, more prosperity, more opportunities for generations to come.

 

That’s what our focus on the key economic corridors is all about: investing in near-term solutions that pay long-term dividends.

 

It’s not only in Africa. We’re starting similar work in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Indonesia, and other places I won’t bore you with now.

 

And let me close with this. During the G7 meeting, we’re addressing a range of issues: climate change, food security, gender inequality, economic resilience, digital connectivity, and global security. We’re tracking these challenges together, and I think we’re beginning to make some important progress.

 

But if we don’t move to do more to strengthen infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries, if we don’t do more to help nations deliver opportunities and prosperity for their people, our impact is going to be limited.

 

That’s how the crit- — how critical this partnership is. That’s how important our investments are.

 

So, today, as we began the PGII’s second year, let’s all find ways to maximize our investment — maximize it — because it will do a lot not only for that particular undertaking but it has an impact across the entire regions, in my view, and — to unlock even more public and private capital.

 

And together, let’s recommit to showing that democracies can deliver. Let me say it again: Democracies can deliver. We have to deliver to people around the world.

 

I want to thank you all for your partnership and leadership on this vital issue.

 

And now I’m going to turn it back to the Prime Minister. Thank you.

 

5:46 P.M. JST

 

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MAY 20, 2023

G7 Hiroshima Leaders’ Communiqué

 

STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

Preamble

 

We, the Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), met in Hiroshima for our annual Summit on May 19-21, 2023, more united than ever in our determination to meet the global challenges of this moment and set the course for a better future. Our work is rooted in respect for the Charter of the United Nations (UN) and international partnership.

 

We are taking concrete steps to:

 

support Ukraine for as long as it takes in the face of Russia’s illegal war of aggression;

strengthen disarmament and non-proliferation efforts, towards the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all;

coordinate our approach to economic resilience and economic security that is based on diversifying and deepening partnerships and de-risking, not de-coupling;

drive the transition to clean energy economies of the future through cooperation within and beyond the G7;

launch the Hiroshima Action Statement for Resilient Global Food Security with partner countries to address needs today and into the future; and

deliver our goal of mobilizing $600 billion in financing for quality infrastructure through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment (PGII)

as outlined in the reference documents of this Communique.

 

We are determined to work together and with others to:

 

support a free and open Indo-Pacific and oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion;

foster a strong and resilient global economic recovery, maintain financial stability, and promote jobs and sustainable growth;

accelerate achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), recognizing that reducing poverty and tackling the climate and nature crisis go hand in hand;

promote the evolution of the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs);

strengthen our partnerships with African countries and support greater African representation in multilateral fora;

preserve the planet by accelerating the decarbonization of our energy sector and the deployment of renewables, end plastic pollution and protect the oceans;

deepen cooperation through Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs), the Climate Club and new Country Packages for Forest, Nature and Climate;

invest in global health through vaccine manufacturing capacity worldwide, the Pandemic Fund, the future international agreement for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, and efforts to achieve universal health coverage (UHC);

cooperate on international migration and strengthen our common effort to fight the trafficking and smuggling of human beings; and

advance international discussions on inclusive artificial intelligence (AI) governance and interoperability to achieve our common vision and goal of trustworthy AI, in line with our shared democratic values.

2. We will champion international principles and shared values by:

 

upholding and reinforcing the free and open international order based on the rule of law, respecting the UN Charter to the benefit of countries, large and small;

strongly opposing any unilateral attempts to change the peacefully established status of territories by force or coercion anywhere in the world and reaffirming that the acquisition of territory by force is prohibited;

promoting universal human rights, gender equality and human dignity;

reiterating the importance of multilateralism including the role of UN and international cooperation in promoting peace, stability and prosperity; and

strengthening the rules-based multilateral trading system and keeping pace with the evolution of digital technologies.

3. We will work with our international partners to achieve a world that is human-centered, inclusive and resilient, leaving no one behind. In that spirit, we welcomed the participation of the Leaders of Australia, Brazil, Comoros, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, and Vietnam.

 

Ukraine

 

4. We once again condemn in the strongest possible terms the war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine, which constitutes a serious violation of international law, including the UN Charter. Russia’s brutal war of aggression represents a threat to the whole world in breach of fundamental norms, rules and principles of the international community. We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes to bring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace. We issued the G7 Leaders’ Statement on Ukraine, and with the clear intention and concrete actions set forth in it, we commit to intensifying our diplomatic, financial, humanitarian and military support for Ukraine, to increasing the costs to Russia and those supporting its war efforts, and to continuing to counter the negative impacts of the war on the rest of the world, particularly on the most vulnerable people.

 

Disarmament and Non-proliferation

 

5. Together with the G7 Leaders’ Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament, we express our commitment to achieving a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all, through taking a realistic, pragmatic, and responsible approach. We reaffirm the importance of disarmament and non-proliferation efforts to create a more stable and safer world. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and the foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. We remain committed to the universalization, effective implementation, and strengthening of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, as well as the Chemical Weapons Convention. We welcome the steps taken to strengthen effective and responsible export controls on materials, technology, and research that could be used for military purposes in a way that keeps pace with rapid technological developments and recognize the central role of multilateral export control regimes in this regard.

 

Indo-Pacific

 

6. We reiterate the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive, prosperous, secure, based on the rule of law, and that protects shared principles including sovereignty, territorial integrity, peaceful resolution of disputes, and fundamental freedoms and human rights. Given the importance of the region, G7 members and our partners have taken respective Indo-Pacific initiatives to help strengthen our engagement. We underscore our commitment to strengthen coordination with regional partners, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its member states. We reaffirm our unwavering support for ASEAN centrality and unity and our commitment to promoting cooperation in line with the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific. We also reaffirm our partnership with Pacific Island countries and reiterate the importance of supporting their priorities and needs in accordance with the Pacific Islands Forum’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. We welcome and further encourage efforts made by the private sector, universities and think tanks, which contribute to realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific.

 

Global Economy, Finance and Sustainable Development

 

7. The global economy has shown resilience against multiple shocks including the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and associated inflationary pressures. Nevertheless, we need to remain vigilant and stay agile and flexible in our macroeconomic policy amid heightened uncertainty about the global economic outlook. In striving for strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth, we are committed to a stability- and growth-oriented macroeconomic policy mix that supports medium-term fiscal sustainability and price stability. Inflation remains elevated and central banks remain strongly committed to achieving price stability, in line with their respective mandates. Meanwhile, fiscal policy should continue to provide, as appropriate, temporary and targeted support to vulnerable groups suffering from the increase in cost of living and catalyze investment needed for the green and digital transformations while the overall fiscal stance should ensure medium-term sustainability. We also reaffirm our existing G7 exchange rate commitments. We reemphasize the importance of supply-side reforms, especially those that increase labor supply and enhance productivity. We also stress the crucial role of women and under-represented groups for the long-term success of our economies through promoting inclusion, diversity and innovation. We look forward to a successful review of the G20/Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Principles of Corporate Governance to strengthen sustainability and resilience of the private sector. Recognizing that our economic and social structures have undergone dynamic and fundamental transformation, we underscore the multidimensional aspects of welfare and that these aspects should be brought into policymaking in a practical and effective manner. Such efforts will help preserve confidence in democracy and a market-based economy, which are the core values of the G7.

 

8. We will continue to closely monitor financial sector developments and stand ready to take appropriate actions to maintain financial stability and the resilience of the global financial system. We reaffirm that our financial system is resilient, supported by the financial regulatory reforms implemented after the 2008 global financial crisis. We strongly support the work of the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and standard-setting bodies on enhancing the resilience of non-bank financial intermediation. We will continue policy deliberation on digital money to harness the benefits of innovation such as payment efficiency as well as financial inclusion while addressing potential risks to the stability, resilience and integrity of the monetary and financial system. Effective monitoring, regulation and oversight are critical to addressing financial stability and integrity risks posed by crypto-asset activities and markets and to avoid regulatory arbitrage, while supporting responsible innovation.

 

9. We re-emphasize our strong political commitment towards the swift global implementation of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework Two-Pillar Solution to address the tax challenges arising from globalization and the digitalization of the economy and to establish a more stable and fairer international tax system. We recognize significant progress in the negotiation of the Pillar 1 Multilateral Convention (MLC) and reaffirm our commitment to the swift completion of the negotiation so that the MLC can be ready for signature within the agreed timeline. We welcome the progresses in domestic legislation toward the implementation of Pillar 2. We will further provide developing countries with support for strengthening their tax capacity to build sustainable tax revenue sources, highlighting the importance of assistance for the implementation of the Two-Pillar Solution.

 

10. We recognize that achieving the sustainable development goals by 2030, reducing poverty, responding to global challenges including the climate crisis, and addressing debt vulnerabilities in low and middle-income countries are urgent, interrelated and mutually reinforcing. We are determined to do our part to mobilize the private and public resources needed to meet these challenges and support a just transition. Recognizing the importance of providing and protecting global public goods, we will support efforts to embed building resilience, sustainability and inclusiveness as integral elements in MDBs’ efforts to reduce poverty and promote shared prosperity. We will strive to enhance the development finance toolkit to mobilize additional financing from international financial institutions, bilateral partners, and the private sector to more effectively reduce poverty by better addressing vulnerabilities including climate change.　We will work together and with partners to deliver this ambition and make concrete progress on this agenda at key moments over the coming year starting with the Summit organized in Paris on June 22-23 to revitalize global development financing, and continuing the momentum through the G20 Summit in New Delhi, the SDG Summit in New York, the 2023 World Bank Group (WBG) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annual Meetings in Marrakech, the G20 Compact with Africa Conference in Berlin, and the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC-COP 28) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

 

11, We are determined to take on a leading role in reversing the setback of progress towards the SDGs. Recognizing that 2023 is the halfway point to achieve the SDGs, we highlight the importance of the SDG Summit in September and will ambitiously contribute to a successful outcome. We reaffirm our commitment to revitalizing international cooperation and strengthen multilateralism. We will accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA), and will do so in a comprehensive and gender-transformative manner including through locally-led development. We will also promote the concept of human security in the new era aiming to realize a society that leaves no one behind. We stress the critical role of development cooperation and international partnerships in addressing global challenges and the need to engage with international partners in solidarity. We also call for further domestic resource mobilization and efficient use of existing resources as well as mobilizing private financial assets to address financing gaps for sustainable development. We underscore the need for continued efforts to scale up official development assistance (ODA) and expand its catalytic use including through innovative financing mechanisms, recognizing the importance of respective commitments, such as the 0.7% ODA/GNI target that some countries adopted.

 

12. We remain concerned that serious challenges to debt sustainability are undermining the progress towards the SDGs and low-and middle-income countries are disproportionately affected by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and wider global challenges. We reiterate the urgency of addressing debt vulnerabilities in these countries and fully support the G20’s effort to improve the implementation of the Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) in a predictable, timely, orderly and coordinated manner, providing clarity to participants. We welcome the recent approval by the IMF board of a program for Ghana. Beyond the Common Framework, debt vulnerabilities in middle income countries (MICs) should be addressed by multilateral coordination. In this respect, we welcome the launch of the creditors’ meeting for Sri Lanka under the three co-chairs, France, India, and Japan, and look forward to a swift resolution as a successful model for future multilateral efforts to address MICs’ debt issues. We also stress the importance of private creditors providing debt treatments on terms at least as favorable to ensure fair burden sharing in line with the comparability of treatment principle. We welcome the development of Climate Resilient Debt Clauses (CRDC) to enhance the safety net for borrowers facing the impacts of climate change. We welcome work by our finance ministers on this topic and encourage more creditors to offer CRDC for loan agreements. In order to enhance debt data accuracy and transparency, we invite all official bilateral creditors to join the data sharing exercise for debt data reconciliation, including through further advancing the G20’s initiative in the area of debt data accuracy.

 

13. We encourage MDBs and Development Financial Institutions (DFIs) to accelerate their efforts to increase their capacity to leverage private finance, including through implementing MDB reforms. In this regard, we strongly support and encourage to expedite the ongoing work on the evolution of the MDBs to review and transform their business models to better address transboundary challenges such as climate change, pandemics, fragility and conflict, which are integral to achieving poverty reduction and shared prosperity. This evolution should come with the most efficient use of their existing capital. To this end, we will contribute to developing an ambitious G20 Roadmap on implementing the recommendations of the G20 MDB Capital Adequacy Framework Review and call on MDBs to make further progress in a comprehensive manner while safeguarding MDBs’ long-term financial sustainability, robust credit ratings and preferred creditor status. Building on key reforms to the WBG’s mission and operational model along with financial reforms that can add up to $50 billion of financing capacity over the coming decade, we look forward to further progress at the WBG toward the 2023 WBG and IMF Annual Meetings and beyond so that ambitious reforms can be made on a continual basis. We encourage other MDBs to join this initiative for a coordinated approach of MDBs as a system. We also call on MDBs to make the best use of policy and knowledge support, and explore strengthened approaches to promote mobilizing domestic resources and private capital as well as private sector engagement. We have further advanced our joint efforts to support countries most in need through the voluntary channeling of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) or equivalent contributions. We welcome that additional pledges by Japan and France, amongst others, together with our previous contributions and commitments, put the global ambition of $100 billion within reach and call for the delivery of existing pledges and for further pledges from all willing and able countries to fulfill the ambition. We support the IMF achieving its agreed 2021 fundraising targets by the 2023 WBG and IMF Annual Meetings and identifying all available options to put the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) which supports Low Income Countries (LICs), on a sustainable footing with a view to meeting the growing needs of LICs in the coming years. We will further explore viable options for enabling the voluntary channeling of SDRs through MDBs, while respecting national legal frameworks and the need to preserve the reserve assets character and status of SDRs.

 

14. We stress the importance of narrowing the infrastructure investment gap in low and middle income partner countries, including by delivering financing for quality infrastructure, supporting efforts to advance policy reforms needed to attract investment, operationalizing country-led partnerships, and promoting upstream support including project preparation support. We reaffirm our shared commitment to the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) and to working together and aiming to mobilize up to $600 billion by 2027.We will continue strengthening global partnerships for public and private investments in sustainable, inclusive, resilient and quality infrastructure with partner countries. We will mobilize the private sector for accelerated action to this end. Our offer is fair and transparent and aims at accelerating global sustainable development with the focus on delivering impact at local level. We welcome the Factsheet on PGII that demonstrates how the G7 and partners have made concrete progress in fostering investments that will create lasting positive impacts and promote sustainable development. We reiterate our support to the G20 Compact with Africa as a key framework to enhance the business environment in Africa and call on reform-oriented partners to join and strengthen this initiative.

 

15. We shared our determination to promote transparent and fair development finance and work together to address the gap in implementing existing principles such as debt transparency and sustainability, fair appraisal, selection, and lending practices for quality infrastructure investment. In this regard, we call on all actors to adhere to international rules, standards and principles, including the G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment, the G20 Operational Guidelines for Sustainable Financing, the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. These rules, standards and principles also include measures to safeguard the integrity of infrastructure investments.　

 

16. We note the importance of addressing development, humanitarian, peace and security issues together. We are determined to address the unprecedented number of humanitarian crises, focusing on women and girls and those in vulnerable situations. In this regard, we commit to providing over $21 billion in total to address the worsening humanitarian crises this year, including in response to urgent food crises. Bearing in mind that many countries are vulnerable to disasters, including Small Island Developing States, we will accelerate international disaster risk reduction cooperation in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and the output of its midterm review conducted by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). We emphasize the importance of a disaster preparedness approach and investment in human capital, goods and infrastructure that contribute not only to “risk transfer” but also to “risk reduction,” resulting in the strengthening of anticipatory actions. We remain committed to holding ourselves accountable, in an open and transparent way, for the promises we have made. In this regard, we endorse the 2023 Hiroshima Progress Report, following up on the G7’s development-related commitments on food security and nutrition as well as refugees and migration.

 

17. We emphasize the transformative power of cities worldwide as drivers for every aspect of sustainable development. We will continue our cooperation on sustainable urban development and task our relevant Ministers to consider the development of principles on carbon neutral, resilient and inclusive cities and on the digitalization in cities, and to accelerate the use of data and technologies for cities. This work will support exchanges with our global partners, whose cities face some of the most significant challenges relating to climate change.

 

Climate Change

 

18. Our planet is facing unprecedented challenges from the triple global crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution as well as from the ongoing global energy crisis. We are steadfast in our commitment to the Paris agreement, keeping a limit of 1.5°C global temperature rise within reach through scaled up action in this critical decade, halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030, and ensuring energy security, whilst leveraging synergies and recognizing the interdependent nature of these challenges. While Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine impacts energy markets and supply chains globally, our goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 at the latest remains unchanged. We emphasize our strong concern, amplified by the latest finding of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), at the accelerating and intensifying impacts of climate change, and highlight the increased urgency to reduce global GHG emissions by around 43 percent by 2030 and 60 percent by 2035, relative to the 2019 level, in light of its latest findings. We reiterate our commitment made in Elmau last year to rapidly implement domestic mitigation measures aimed at achieving our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets and to increase our ambition including, for example, by adopting or strengthening sectoral targets, by developing non-CO2 sub targets, and by adopting stringent implementation measures. Mindful of our leadership role, and noting that emissions have already peaked in all G7 countries, we recognize the critical role of all major economies in limiting increases in global temperature over this critical decade and in subsequent decades. In this context, we underscore that every major economy should have significantly enhanced the ambition of its NDC since the Paris Agreement; already peaked its GHG emissions or indicated that it will do so no later than 2025; and in particular, included economy-wide absolute reduction targets and that cover all GHGs in its NDC. Accordingly, we call on all Parties – especially major economies – whose 2030 NDC targets or long-term low GHG emission development Strategies (LTSs) are not yet aligned with a 1.5°C pathway and net zero by 2050 at the latest, to revisit and strengthen the 2030 NDC targets and publish or update their LTSs as soon as possible and well before UNFCCC-COP28, and to commit to net zero by 2050 at the latest. Furthermore, we call on all Parties to commit at UNFCCC-COP28 to peak global GHG emissions immediately and by no later than 2025. We reaffirm our commitment to the Global Methane Pledge and we will step up efforts to collectively reduce global anthropogenic methane emissions by at least 30 percent below 2020 levels by 2030. We commit to actively contributing to securing the most ambitious outcomes of the first global stocktake (GST) at UNFCCC-COP28, which should result in enhanced, immediate and ambitious actions across mitigation, adaptation, means of implementation and support. We call on all Parties to submit their next round of NDCs and LTSs well ahead of UNFCCC-COP30 that are informed by the outcomes of the GST, reflecting economy-wide absolute reduction targets including all GHGs, sectors and categories. These should reflect significantly enhanced ambition aligned with a 1.5°C pathway and should also include their revisited and strengthened 2030 targets.

 

19. Noting the importance of increasing the pace and scale of action on climate change, biodiversity loss and clean energy transitions, we will globally advance and promote a green transformation, working together to realize transformation of our economies to reach net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 at the latest. We will engage with developing and emerging countries to accelerate emission reduction, including by supporting their transitions to climate resilient, circular, and nature positive economies and net-zero GHG emissions through various and practical pathways taking into account national circumstances. To that end, we reaffirm our strong commitment to supporting developing countries’ just energy transitions, which will be supported by coordinated actions, including through the PGII. We welcome progress achieved on JETPs with South Africa, Indonesia and Vietnam, and also continue our discussions with India and Senegal. We take note of initiatives that are intended to support clean energy transition in countries around the world, such as Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) initiative, the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), 2050 Pathways Platform, Net Zero World (NZW), and the Global Carbon Pricing Challenge and underscore the importance of actions taken through such initiatives being aligned with a 1.5°C pathway. We will take further action on supply-side measures and recognize the need for further decarbonization efforts on the demand-side such as promoting changes in infrastructure and material use and end-use technology adoption as well as promoting sustainable consumer choice. We also recognize the vital role of sub-national governments in collaboration with other stakeholders and partners to advance climate and energy actions based on local needs and environmental conditions. We reaffirm the important role of high integrity carbon markets and carbon pricing to foster cost-efficient reductions in emission levels, drive innovation and enable a transformation to net zero, through the optimal use of a range of policy levers to price carbon. We support appropriate policy mixes including carbon pricing, non-pricing mechanisms, and incentives that effectively reduce emissions, and note that these could vary reflecting country-specific circumstances. We strongly support the OECD Inclusive Forum on Carbon Mitigation Approaches (IFCMA). We look forward to advancing the open, cooperative, and inclusive Climate Club, in collaboration with international partners, to advance industrial decarbonization. We encourage private entities to commit to GHG net-zero emissions throughout the value chain via credible net zero pledges and transparent implementation strategies. We also encourage and promote private entities’ work to foster innovation contributing to the emission reduction of other entities through decarbonization solutions. We welcome the progress of the Industrial Decarbonization Agenda (IDA) that decided to start working on implementation of the new Global Data Collection Framework for steel production and product emissions. We reaffirm our commitment to a highly decarbonized road sector by 2030, and recognize the importance of reducing GHG emissions from the global fleet and the range of pathways to approach this goal in line with trajectories required for keeping a limit of 1.5°C within reach. We are committed to the goal of achieving net-zero emissions in the road sector by 2050. In this context, we highlight the various actions that each of us is taking to decarbonize our vehicle fleet, including such domestic policies that are designed to achieve 100 percent or the overwhelming penetration of sales of light duty vehicles (LDVs) as zero emission vehicles (ZEV) by 2035 and beyond; to achieve 100 percent electrified vehicles in new passenger car sales by 2035; to promote associated infrastructure and sustainable carbon-neutral fuels including sustainable bio- and synthetic fuels. We note the opportunities that these policies offer to contribute to a highly decarbonized road sector, including progressing towards a share of over 50 percent of zero emission LDVs sold globally by 2030. Considering the findings of the International Energy Agency (IEA)‘s Energy Technology Perspective 2023, we also note the opportunity to collectively reduce by at least 50 percent CO2 emissions from G7 vehicle stock by 2035 or earlier relative to the level in 2000 as a halfway point to achieving net zero and to track the progress on a yearly basis. We reaffirm our commitment to strengthen global efforts to achieve GHG lifecycle zero emissions from international shipping by 2050 at the latest. We commit to support this target and introducing intermediate targets for 2030 and 2040 for the revised International Maritime Organization (IMO) GHG reduction strategy, in line with efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels through a credible basket of measures. We commit to accelerate global efforts to achieve the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)’s goal of net-zero emissions in international aviation by 2050, including making an effort for promoting and introducing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), introducing new technologies and improving operations, also building on ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).

 

20. In the face of the increasing threats posed by climate change, supporting climate-vulnerable groups is essential for ensuring human security and achieving resilient and sustainable development. We will continue to scale up and enhance support to strengthen the resilience of climate-vulnerable groups through enhancing climate change adaptation and climate disaster risk reduction, response and recovery and early-warning systems including through the Global Shield against Climate Risks and other initiatives related to early warning systems and the adoption of climate-resilient debt clauses. We reaffirm our commitments to the developed country Parties’ goal of jointly mobilizing $100 billion annually in climate finance by 2020 through to 2025 in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation. We will work together with other developed country Parties in order to fully meet the goal in 2023. We welcome discussions on an ambitious and fit-for-purpose new collective quantified goal (NCQG) which contributes as a global effort, from a wide variety of sources, public and private, to reaching the goals of the Paris Agreement, including making finance flows consistent with a pathway toward low GHG emissions and climate resilient development. Recognizing the critical role of the G7 and that developed country parties should take the lead in mobilizing climate finance, we underscore the need for all countries and stakeholders, who have the capabilities and are not yet among the current providers of international climate finance, to contribute to global efforts in this regard.

 

21. We are committed to accelerating our own efforts to making financial flows consistent with a pathway toward low GHG emissions and climate resilient development, in line with Article 2.1c of the Paris Agreement. We stress the importance of mobilizing finance especially including private finance focusing on further implementation and development of clean technologies and activities. We underline our commitment to consistent, comparable and reliable disclosure of information on sustainability including climate. We support the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) finalizing the standards for general reporting on sustainability and for climate-related disclosures and working toward achieving globally interoperable sustainability disclosure frameworks. We also look forward to the ISSB’s future work on disclosure on biodiversity and human capital, in line with its work plan consultation. We remain committed to supporting the implementation and monitoring of the G20 Sustainable Finance Roadmap. We highlight the need for corporates to implement their net-zero transitions in line with the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement based on credible corporate climate transition plans. We also highlight that transition finance, in line with keeping a limit of 1.5°C temperature rise within reach, avoiding carbon lock-ins and based on effective emissions reduction, has a significant role in advancing the decarbonization of the economy as a whole. We look forward to an ambitious and successful second replenishment for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and reaffirm the need for robust G7 pledges. We urge other countries to do the same and underscore the need to broaden the GCF’s contributor base by encouraging all potential contributors. We continue to accelerate efforts to respond to the Glasgow Climate Pact that urges developed countries to at least double their collective provision of climate finance for adaptation to developing countries from the 2019 level by 2025, in the context of achieving a balance between mitigation and adaptation in the provision of scaled-up financial resources. We also urge MDBs to commit to ambitious adaptation finance targets, announcing revised and enhanced 2025 projections, and call on non-G7 countries to enhance provision and mobilization including private finance for adaptation. We stress the key role of International Financial Institutions (IFIs) in mobilizing finance and call on them to mainstream climate and environment issues in their policies, investments, operations and governance. We also urge MDBs to increase finance for global public goods including climate finance and support ambitious regulatory reforms in developing countries via policy-based finance in order to foster the transition to net zero and enable private sector investment. Furthermore, in order to promote the development of carbon markets while ensuring their environmental integrity, we endorse the “Principles of High Integrity Carbon Markets” to facilitate their implementation in carbon credit markets. We emphasize our extreme concern at the scale of impacts that are already resulting in economic and non-economic loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change and being felt globally, particularly by the most vulnerable. Alarmed by the adverse effects of climate change globally, we will scale up action and support to avert, minimize and address loss and damage, especially for the most vulnerable countries. This will include implementing the UNFCCC-COP27/The 4th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA4) decision to establish new funding arrangements, including a fund, for developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, in the context of article 8 of the Paris Agreement, and providing support identified in the “G7 Inventory on Climate Disaster Risk Reduction, Response and Recovery”.

 

Environment

 

22. We commit to realizing the transformation of the economic and social system towards net-zero, circular, climate-resilient, pollution-free and nature-positive economies and to halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030, in an integrated manner, while ensuring sustainable and inclusive economic growth and development and enhancing the resilience of our economies. Highlighting that enhancing resource efficiency and circularity along value chains reduces primary resource use and contributes to achieving our climate and other environmental goals, we encourage stakeholders and in particular businesses to strengthen their action. Thus, we endorse the Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency Principles (CEREP). We will increase domestic and international environmentally-sound, sustainable and efficient recovery and recycling of critical minerals and raw materials and other applicable materials while increasing circularity along the supply chains. We reaffirm that management and governance of water-related ecosystems are essential for all life on earth. We are actively engaging in relevant international fora including following up on the UN Water Conference successfully held this year.

 

23. Building on the G7 Ocean Deal, we commit to act towards realizing clean, healthy and productive oceans. We reaffirm our commitment to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and will take further actions to address this phenomenon in all its dimensions, including supporting developing countries and strengthening policy coordination among our relevant agencies and task them to take stock of their progress on this issue by the end of this year. In particular, we encourage non-parties to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) to join for further global acceptance and effective implementation of the PSMA. We welcome the conclusion of the negotiations for an international legally binding instrument under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) and call for its rapid entry into force and implementation. We will continue to actively engage in the development of a regulatory framework on deep seabed mineral exploitation under the International Seabed Authority (ISA) that ensures effective protection for the marine environment from harmful effects which may arise from such activities, as required under the UNCLOS. We are committed to end plastic pollution, with the ambition to reduce additional plastic pollution to zero by 2040. With this in mind, we are determined to continue and step up our actions based on the comprehensive life cycle approach. We support the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) process, look forward to the next round of negotiation in Paris with a view to completing its work with an international legally binding instrument covering the whole life cycle of plastics by the end of 2024 and call for ambitious outcomes. We will make as much progress as possible on these issues and on the broader agenda of ocean protection by the UN Ocean Conference in 2025.

 

24.We welcome the adoption of the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, which is fundamental to human well-being, a healthy planet and economic prosperity, and commit to its swift and full implementation and to achievement of each of its goals and targets. In this regard, G7 members that are parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) commit to revise, update and submit our National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) aligned with the GBF and its goals and targets, or to communicate national targets reflecting as applicable all the goals and targets of the GBF in 2023 or sufficiently in advance of CBD-COP16. We will identify incentives, including subsidies, harmful to biodiversity by 2025, and redirect or eliminate them while scaling up positive incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity by 2030 at the latest, taking initial steps without delay. We call on all signatories to swiftly implement their commitments under the GBF and stand ready to provide support to developing countries. We reiterate our commitment to substantially increase our national and international funding for nature by 2025. We will ensure that our international development assistance aligns with the GBF. We call on the MDBs to increase support for biodiversity including through leveraging financial resources from all sources and deploying a full suite of instruments. To implement the GBF, we commit to substantially and progressively increasing the level of financial resources from all sources, and to align all relevant fiscal and financial flows with the GBF and call on others to do the same. We commit to supporting the establishment of the GBF Fund within the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and its successful launch at the GEF Assembly in Vancouver in August 2023, noting the importance of financial contributions from all sources to capitalize the new fund. We reaffirm our commitment to enhance synergies between finance for climate and biodiversity, including increased funding for Nature-based Solutions. We also commit to supporting and advancing a transition to nature positive economies, including through sharing knowledge and creating information networks among the G7 such as the G7 Alliance on Nature Positive Economy. We call on businesses to progressively reduce negative and increase positive impacts on biodiversity. We look forward to the publication of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures’ (TNFD’s) market framework and urge market participants, governments and regulators to support its development. We stress our commitment to achieving the target of effectively conserving and managing at least 30 percent of terrestrial and inland water areas, and at least 30 percent of marine and coastal areas by 2030 (30 by 30), nationally and globally, according to national circumstances and approaches through promoting the designation and management of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). We commit to conserving and protecting global marine biological diversity and sustainably using its resources based on the best available scientific evidence. In this context, we reconfirm our commitment under the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) to adopt, as a matter of urgency, proposals to designate Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Eastern Antarctica, the Weddell Sea and the Western Antarctic Peninsula, based on the best available scientific evidence. In this regard, we will support other countries by sharing best practices for protected areas and OECMs to achieve the GBF target of 30 by 30. We will enhance international cooperation on measures against invasive alien species. We reiterate our commitment to halting and reversing forest loss and land degradation by 2030, and are committed to conserving forests and other terrestrial ecosystems and accelerating their restoration, supporting sustainable value and supply chains as well as promoting sustainable forest management and use of wood. We will work together, with high ambition to deliver integrated solutions to support the protection, conservation and restoration of high-carbon, high-biodiversity ecosystems, including by coordinating our offers through Country Packages on Forests, Nature and Climate, especially in countries which host vital reserves of carbon and biodiversity, with an initial focus on forests. We commit to continuing our efforts to reduce risk of deforestation and forest and land degradation linked to the production of relevant commodities and enhance cooperation with various stakeholders on this issue. We will, if appropriate, develop further regulatory frameworks or policies to support this.

 

Energy

 

25. We commit to holistically addressing energy security, the climate crisis, and geopolitical risks. In order to address the current energy crisis caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and achieve our common goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest, we highlight the real and urgent need and opportunity to accelerate clean energy transitions also as a means of increasing energy security at the same time. While acknowledging various pathways according to each country’s energy situation, industrial and social structures and geographical conditions, we highlight that these should lead to our common goal of net zero by 2050 at the latest in order to keep a limit of 1.5 °C within reach. In this regard, we invite the IEA to make recommendations by the end of this year on options how to diversify the supplies of energy and critical minerals as well as clean energy manufacturing. Through this, together with our partners, we seek to holistically address energy security, climate crisis, and geopolitical risk including the expansion of global use of renewable energy in order to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest and keep a limit of 1.5 °C temperature rise within reach. Through our experience in coping with past and current energy crises, we highlight the importance of enhanced energy efficiency and savings as the “first fuel,” and of developing demand side energy policies. We also need to significantly accelerate the deployment of renewable energies and the development and deployment of next-generation technologies. The G7 contributes to expanding renewable energy globally and bringing down costs by strengthening capacity including through a collective increase in offshore wind capacity of 150GW by 2030 based on each country’s existing targets and a collective increase of solar PV to more than 1TW by 2030 estimated by the IEA and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) through means such as each country’s existing targets or policy measures. We recognize that low-carbon and renewable hydrogen and its derivatives such as ammonia should be developed and used, if this can be aligned with a 1.5 °C pathway, where they are impactful as effective emission reduction tools to advance decarbonization across sectors and industries, notably in hard-to-abate sectors in industry and transportation, while avoiding N2O as a GHG and NOx as air pollutant. We also note that some countries are exploring the use of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen and its derivatives in the power sector to work towards zero-emission thermal power generation if this can be aligned with a 1.5°C pathway and our collective goal for a fully or predominantly decarbonized power sector by 2035. We will enhance our efforts to develop the rule-based, transparent global market and supply chains for low carbon and renewable hydrogen based on reliable international standards and certification schemes adhering to environmental and social standards. We affirm the importance of developing international standards and certification including for a GHG calculation methodology for hydrogen production and mutual recognition mechanism for carbon intensity-based tradability, transparency, trustworthiness and sustainability. We reaffirm our commitment to achieving a fully or predominantly decarbonized power sector by 2035, and prioritizing concrete and timely steps towards the goal of accelerating the phase-out of domestic unabated coal power generation in a manner consistent with keeping a limit of 1.5°C temperature rise within reach and urge others to join us. We will work towards ending the construction of new unabated coal fired power generation as identified in the IEA’s Coal in Net Zero Transitions report in 2022 as one of the primary actions to be taken in line with the IEA net zero by 2050 scenario. We call on and will work with other countries to end new unabated coal-fired power generation projects globally as soon as possible to accelerate the clean energy transition in a just manner. We highlight that we ended new direct government support for unabated international thermal coal power generation in 2021. We call on other countries, especially major economies to join us in fulfilling their commitments to do the same. We acknowledge that Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS)/carbon recycling technologies can be an important part of a broad portfolio of decarbonization solutions to reduce emissions from industrial sources that cannot be avoided otherwise and that the deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) processes with robust social and environmental safeguard, have an essential role to play in counterbalancing residual emissions from sectors that are unlikely to achieve full decarbonization.

 

26. We underline our commitment, in the context of a global effort, to accelerate the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels so as to achieve net zero in energy systems by 2050 at the latest in line with the trajectories required to limit global average temperatures to 1.5 °C above preindustrial levels, and call on others to join us in taking the same action. We reaffirm our commitment to the elimination of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies by 2025 or sooner, and reaffirm our previous calls for all countries to do so. In view of the emerging need for net-zero and circular industrial supply chains in the transformation towards a 1.5°C pathway, we recognize the opportunities associated with decarbonized, sustainably and responsibly produced non-combustion feedstocks, and are committed to supporting our workers and communities in this transformation. We also highlight that we ended new direct public support for the international unabated fossil-fuel energy sector in 2022, except in limited circumstances clearly defined by each country consistent with a 1.5 °C warming limit and the goals of the Paris Agreement, recognizing the importance of national security and geostrategic interests. It is necessary to accelerate the phase out of our dependency on Russian energy, including through energy savings and gas demand reduction, in a manner consistent with our Paris commitments, and address the global impact of Russia’s war on energy supplies, gas prices and inflation, and people’s lives, recognizing the primary need to accelerate the clean energy transition. In this context, we stress the important role that increased deliveries of LNG can play, and acknowledge that investment in the sector can be appropriate in response to the current crisis and to address potential gas market shortfalls provoked by the crisis. In the exceptional circumstance of accelerating the phase out of our dependency on Russian energy, publicly supported investment in the gas sector can be appropriate as a temporary response, subject to clearly defined national circumstances, if implemented in a manner consistent with our climate objectives without creating lock-in effects, for example by ensuring that projects are integrated into national strategies for the development of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen. We will further utilize neutral and impartial statistical data made available by international organizations such as the IEA and strengthen their data-collection and analysis functions, with a view to stabilizing energy markets. We emphasize the importance of strengthening forums for communication and cooperation between producing and consuming countries with a view to stabilizing energy markets and mobilizing necessary investment consistent with climate goals. Those G7 countries that opt to use nuclear energy recognize its potential to provide affordable low-carbon energy that can reduce dependence on fossil fuels, to address the climate crisis and to ensure global energy security as a source of baseload energy and grid flexibility. They commit to maximizing the use of existing reactors safely, securely, and efficiently, including by advancing their safe long-term operation, in addressing the current energy crisis. They also commit, domestically as well as in partner countries, to supporting the development and construction of nuclear reactors, such as small modular and other advanced reactors with advanced safety systems, building robust and resilient nuclear supply chains including nuclear fuel, and maintaining and strengthening nuclear technology and human resources. They will work with like-minded partners to reduce dependence on Russia. The G7 underlines that the highest standards of nuclear safety and security are important to all countries and their respective publics. We welcome the steady progress of decommissioning work at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO)’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, and Japan’s transparent efforts with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) based on scientific evidence. We support the IAEA’s independent review to ensure that the discharge of Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) treated water will be conducted consistent with IAEA safety standards and international law and that it will not cause any harm to humans and the environment, which is essential for the decommissioning of the site and the reconstruction of Fukushima.

 

Clean Energy Economy

 

27. Emphasizing that the global climate and energy crisis highlights the urgent need to accelerate the clean energy transition towards achieving net-zero emissions no later than 2050 and to transform our energy systems, we underline the necessity of economic diversification and transformation, including in supply chains. In order to further promote clean energy transitions on a global scale, we are determined to increase our efforts and, in particular, will pursue secure, resilient, affordable, and sustainable clean energy supply chains, including those for critical minerals and clean energy technologies. In implementing energy transitions, we also reaffirm the importance of working collectively to avoid market distortions and ensuring a global level playing field. We will continue to work with international partners to realize a clean energy economy through concrete actions as laid out in the Clean Energy Economy Action Plan.

 

Economic Resilience and Economic Security

 

28. Ensuring economic resilience and economic security globally remains our best protection against the weaponization of economic vulnerabilities. Recalling our commitment from the 2022 G7 Elmau Summit, we will advance economic policies that enhance global economic resilience and economic security to protect against systemic vulnerabilities. To this end, we will engage in dialogue and follow a cooperative approach within the G7 as well as with partners beyond the G7 and globally, including in collaboration with developing countries. In so doing, we will promote international rules and norms in order to facilitate trade and promote economic resilience, based on the rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core. Our efforts will include taking action to make our supply chains and those of our partners around the world more resilient, sustainable and reliable, as well as appropriate measures to promote prosperity for all. We will also promote trust and security in critical infrastructure. We will enhance ongoing collaboration to address non-market policies and practices that exacerbate strategic dependencies and systemic vulnerabilities, harm our workers and businesses, and can undermine international rules and norms. Building on our resolve in Elmau to increase vigilanceand enhance our cooperation to address risks that undermine global security and stability, we will enhance collaboration by launching the Coordination Platform on Economic Coercion to increase our collective assessment, preparedness, deterrence and response to economic coercion, and further promote cooperation with partners beyond the G7. We will deepen our strategic dialogue against malicious practices to protect global supply chains from illegitimate influence, espionage, illicit knowledge leakage, and sabotage in the digital sphere. We affirm our shared responsibility and determination to coordinate on preventing the cutting-edge technologies we develop from being used to further military capabilities that threaten international peace and security. In this context, we hereby adopt the G7 Leaders’ Statement on Economic Resilience and Economic Security.

 

29. We reaffirm the growing importance of critical minerals in various fields, especially for the global clean energy transition, and the need to manage economic and security risks caused by vulnerable supply chains. We support open, fair, transparent, secure, diverse, sustainable, traceable, rules- and market-based trade in critical minerals, oppose market-distorting practices and monopolistic policies on critical minerals, and reaffirm the need to build resilient, robust, responsible, and transparent critical mineral supply chains. We are committed to strengthening our preparedness and resilience against emergencies such as market disruptions, and considering ways to jointly address any such disruptions, including through the support of the IEA’s “Voluntary Critical Mineral Security Program.” We welcome joint progress in efforts to diversify supply chains, including the refining and processing of critical minerals, such as the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP). We will support local value creation in critical minerals supply chains in line with the WTO rules. We will promote domestic and international recycling of critical minerals in collaboration with developing countries. We affirm that strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards will ensure benefits to local communities, including people living in the vicinity of areas with mineral reserves and refining and processing plants, protect workers’ rights, and promote transparency, while giving due consideration to upstream and midstream environments. In order to further promote the clean energy transition we reiterate the need to establish sustainable an resilient supply chains for critical mineral resources and products manufactured using such resources. We welcome the “Five-Point Plan for Critical Mineral Security” adopted by G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers and instruct them to implement the plan.

 

Trade

 

30. We stand united in our commitment to free and fair trade as foundational principles and objectives of the rules-based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, which proves more important than ever in the current geopolitical environment. We confirm that honoring these foundational principles is essential to creating resilient global supply chains that are transparent, diversified, secure, sustainable, trustworthy, and reliable, and that are fair for all and responsive to the needs of global citizens. We affirm our attachment to transparency, coordination and to the respect of WTO rules in our respective policies. This global trading system must be inclusive and ensure that the prosperity it can bring is felt by all, including those that have been traditionally underrepresented. To this end, we will continue to work with non-G7 partners, in particular developing country partners, which are integral partners in supply chains and in the global trading system. Based on the outcome of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC12) and looking ahead to achieving a successful MC13, we underscore the importance of working towards WTO reform, including by conducting discussions with the view to having a fully and well-functioning dispute settlement system accessible to all Members by 2024 and by reinforcing deliberation to respond to global trade policy challenges. In addition, we call on all WTO members to work together to secure the prompt entry into force of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, to engage constructively on recommendations for additional provisions that would achieve a comprehensive agreement on fisheries subsidies, and the plurilateral initiatives including the joint statement initiatives (JSIs), and to make permanent the Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmissions. We are committed to accelerating the WTO JSI E-Commerce negotiations and working to conclude an ambitious outcome by the end of 2023. The outcome should be high standard and commercially meaningful. Free and fair trade flows, consistent with our commitment to our multilateral trading system, play an important role in the green and just transition. We will continue our collaboration at the WTO including to facilitate and promote trade in environmental goods and services, and technologies. We reaffirm our shared concerns with non-market policies and practices, including their problematic evolution, that distort global competition, trade and investment. We will further step up our efforts to secure a level playing field through the more effective use of existing tools, as well as development of appropriate new tools and stronger international rules and norms. We will seek to ensure that our responses to unfair trading practices will not create unnecessary barriers to our partners’ industries and are consistent with our WTO commitments. We reaffirm that export controls are a fundamental policy tool to address the challenges posed by the diversion of technology critical to military applications as well as for other activities that threaten global, regional, and national security. We affirm the importance of cooperation on export controls on critical and emerging technologies such as microelectronics and cyber surveillance systems to address the misuse of such technologies by malicious actors and inappropriate transfers of such technologies through research activities. We task our Trade Ministers to deepen these discussions towards the G7 Trade Ministers’ Meeting in October, and to explore, both within and beyond the G7, coordinated or joint actions where appropriate against trade-related challenges, including economic coercion.

 

Food Security

 

31. We remain deeply concerned with the ongoing and worsening global food security and nutrition situation, with the world facing highest risk of famine in a generation. Multiple factors including the COVID-19 pandemic, soaring energy prices, the climate crisis and shocks, biodiversity loss, land degradation, water security and armed conflicts have contributed to the global disruption and disorder in food systems and supply chains and the deterioration in global food security in recent years. In particular, Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine has drastically aggravated the global food security crisis.  We are committed to continuing our efforts to address pressing issues to improve global food security including through initiatives already launched by the G7 and relevant international organizations, building on the positive outcomes achieved.  Stressing that we have exceeded our joint commitment of $14 billion to the global food security announced at the 2022 G7 Elmau Summit, we will continue to provide assistance in the food and nutrition related sectors to vulnerable countries and regions affected by the current food security crisis, in particular in Africa and the Middle East. Given the scale of the needs across the Horn of Africa, we have collectively met our commitment from Elmau and have effectively delivered assistance to tackle one of the worst droughts in the region’s history.　We also call on other international donors to step up their contributions in this regard.  We further call on Russia to lift its measures that hinder the exports of Russian grain and fertilizers.　Given Ukraine’s essential role as a major exporter of food to the world, we are seriously concerned about the current and future impact of Russia’s deliberate disruption of Ukraine’s agricultural sector on food security in the most vulnerable countries.  Building on our commitment made at Elmau, we continue to provide support for the restoration of Ukraine’s agriculture sector, including support to its efforts in identifying and evidencing illegal seizure of Ukrainian grains by Russia, through the creation of a grain database which can be used to verify the origin of grain shipments. We reaffirm the importance of the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes and President Zelenskyy’s Grain from Ukraine Initiative. We reiterate the critical importance of continued and scaled-up implementation of the UN and Türkiye-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI) in order to further facilitate grain exports from Ukraine and enable stable supply to those in need. We call on Russia to stop threatening global food supplies and to allow the BSGI to operate at its maximum potential and for as long as necessary. We reiterate the importance of ensuring rules-based, open, fair, transparent, predictable, and non-discriminatory trade and avoiding unjustified restrictive trade measures to keep the food and agricultural markets open and call on our G20 partners to do the same. We welcome the Ministerial Decision on World Food Programme (WFP) Food Purchases Exemption from Export Prohibitions or Restrictions adopted at the MC12 and call for its full implementation. We call for more concrete actions to address export restrictions imposed by agricultural producer countries on global food security, recognizing that such measures have a disproportionate effect on countries at greater risk of famine and acute food insecurity. We emphasize the necessity of market transparency and accurate information backed by neutral and impartial data and analysis to prevent arbitrary measures and reduce market volatility in addressing ongoing and future food crises, and commit to strengthening the G20 Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) as well as various efforts by international organizations in this regard. We underscore the importance of strengthening the capacity of low and lower-middle income countries to collect, analyze and use high quality agricultural, market and food security data and maintain the quality of data. We also recognize the value of dialogue between food exporting countries and importing countries to develop a shared understanding on crisis responses.

 

32. We share the view that it is essential to focus on each human and enable stable access to affordable, safe, sufficient and nutritious food for each and every individual. In our pursuit to ensure that all people can progressively realize their right to adequate food, we affirm the need to protect and assist members of the most vulnerable populations, including women and children, in all aspects of food security from short-term food crisis responses through medium to long-term efforts to make food systems sustainable. Nutrition is also fundamental from the viewpoint of a human centered approach, and we highlight the importance of improving access to healthy diets, including through school meal programs. We recognize the urgent need of establishing inclusive, resilient and sustainable agriculture and food systems including through enhancing, diversifying and ensuring sustainability of local, regional and global food supply chains as well as through solving structural bottlenecks. This includes increasing local production capacities by making use of existing domestic agricultural resources and by facilitating trade, sustainable productivity growth with climate adaptation and mitigation and biodiversity conservation, and sustainable food consumption. We promote a wide range of innovations and technology which is suitable for local, environmental and farming conditions and benefits all stakeholders including smallholder farmers. We also underscore the role of the private sector, including small and medium enterprises and startups, in research and development (R&D) as well as responsible investment. We recognize the need to maintain the availability, affordability and accessibility of fertilizers, to diversify the production to reduce the impact of supply chain disruptions, and to promote more efficient and responsible use of fertilizers and soil health, including through the use of appropriate and safe fertilizers, for stable and sustainable agricultural production. We acknowledge the importance of supporting fertilizer value chains including local fertilizer production in line with WTO rules and through supporting the use of local sources of energy in consistency with a 1.5°C warming limit and the goals of the Paris Agreement. We strengthen broader partnerships on those efforts including through the UN Food Systems Stocktaking Moments. We commit to taking concrete steps with partner countries as outlined in the annexed “Hiroshima Action Statement for Resilient Global Food Security”, and call for broader cooperation in the international community.    

 

Health

 

33. We renew our strong commitment to developing and strengthening the global health architecture (GHA) with the World Health Organization (WHO) at its core for future public health emergencies to break the cycle of panic and neglect, recognizing that the COVID-19 pandemic has made an unprecedented impact on the international community. To this end, we commit to further enhancing political momentum toward more coordinated and sustained leader-level governance for health emergency prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) that ensures legitimacy, representation, equity, and effectiveness, noting the ongoing discussions including on a new instrument on pandemic PPR (WHO CA+), targeted amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR), and the UN General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting (HLM) on pandemic PPR in September 2023 and the need to avoid duplication and ensure coherence between these processes, stressing the leading role of WHO. We also applaud the landmark decision at the 75th WHA to work towards increasing the share of assessed contributions to 50 percent of WHO’s 2022-2023 base budget, and which takes into account the importance of monitoring of budgetary proposals as well as progress on reforms, with a view to sustainably finance the organisation to fulfil its leading and coordinating role in global health. We also reaffirm our commitment to strengthening collaboration between Finance and Health Ministries for pandemic PPR including through the ongoing and essential work of the G20 Joint Finance and Health Task Force (JFHTF). We welcome the launch of the Pandemic Fund (PF), look forward to the successful execution of its first call for proposals, and encourage active participation and increasing contributions to the PF from a broader donor base. We also commit to working together, including by sharing work plans and tracking, encouraging efforts and progress in priority countries to achieve the G7’s target of supporting at least 100 Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) in implementing the core capacities required in the IHR, for another 5 years until 2027 as committed in 2022. We also highlight the need for strengthening financing for pandemic response. To this end, we commit to thoroughly assess how existing financing sources can be used in pandemic response and to explore a surge financing framework that allows us to complement existing mechanisms through better coordination and deploy necessary funds quickly and efficiently in response to outbreaks without accumulating idle cash. In this respect, we welcome the G7 Shared Understanding on Finance-Health Coordination and PPR Financing endorsed by the G7 Finance and Health Ministers at their joint session. Reaffirming that strengthening international norms and regulations is essential to enhance pandemic PPR, guided by equity, we reiterate our commitment to contributing to and sustaining momentum on the negotiations of WHO CA+ with a view to adopting it by May 2024 and on the negotiations of targeted amendments to strengthen the IHR, together with all stakeholders. Furthermore, we reiterate the importance of timely, transparent and systematic sharing of pathogens, data and information in a safe and secure manner, ensuring the respect of relevant data protection rules, for multisectoral and integrated surveillance of emerging and ongoing health threats both in ordinary times and in emergencies, in line with the G7 Pact for Pandemic Readiness. We also recognize the importance of strengthening and maintaining sufficient and high-quality human resources for health worldwide at all times, such as the public health and emergency workforce including consideration of Global Health Emergency Corps. We will support the further enhancement of a global network of experts and trainings, including through initiatives such as the WHO Academy, promote decent work with equal payment for work of equal value and protect health workers during emergencies and conflicts among others. We recognize the integral role civil society plays, including by reaching those in vulnerable situations, and recommit to working together for a healthier future for all.

 

34. We commit to reverse the first global decline in life expectancy in more than seven decades emphasizing the importance of achieving UHC by 2030 and accelerating progress toward SDG 3. We recommit to working alongside global partners to assist countries to achieve UHC by supporting primary health care (PHC) and developing and restoring essential health services, to achieve better than pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2025, as part of our effort to strengthen health systems in ordinary times. We commit to supporting countries to strengthen PHC delivery, including through health workforce strengthening We also commit to support bringing survival rates back to better than pre-pandemic levels, including by reducing maternal, newborn and child mortality, and consistent with the full range of SDG targets and indicators related to UHC on which we will also support progress. We recognize the importance of financial risk protection to prevent people from slipping into poverty due to health care costs. To this end, we endorse the “G7 Global Plan for UHC Action Agenda” and note the importance of a global hub function, in support of relevant international organizations, including for financing, knowledge management, and human resources on UHC. We reaffirm the essential role of UHC in addressing various health challenges significantly set back by the pandemic, including in humanitarian contexts, such as tackling communicable diseases including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis, malaria, polio, measles, cholera, and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), antimicrobial resistance (AMR), non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including mental health conditions, realizing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all, and promoting routine immunization, healthy ageing, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). We are committed to spearheading research in this regard, including with a focus on understanding post COVID-19 conditions. We noted the historic outcome of the Global Fund’s 7th replenishment and welcome the financial support from the G7 and further countries towards ending the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. We call for continued support to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) to stay on track for polio eradication by 2026. We will build on the success of the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in 2021 for the Paris N4G in 2024 to improve nutrition. We also commit to further promoting comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all individuals, including maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, especially in vulnerable circumstances. Recognizing the increasing need for overarching, system-level coordination and alignment of global health partnerships including the Global Health Initiatives and their interface, we will take collective actions to avoid fragmentation and duplication, ensure accountability, maximize impacts, and reinforce country leadership with a view to enhancing governance in global health and to supporting the achievement of UHC. In this regard, we look forward to the outcome of the Future of Global Health Initiatives. We reiterate our determination to further contribute to achieving UHC, including through making the most of and ensuring synergies among the upcoming UNGA HLMs on UHC, tuberculosis, and pandemic PPR. In order to contribute to global health towards the post COVID-19 era, with a view to supporting the achievement of UHC as well as strengthening PPR, we highlight our financial contributions totaling more than $48 billion from the public and private sectors. We also call for further domestic resource mobilization as well as efficient use of existing resources. We emphasize the important role of the private sector towards sustainable financing in global health, including through impact investments and endorse the Triple I (Impact Investments Initiative) for Global Health.

 

35. We reaffirm that innovative initiatives including those related to digital health are keys to strengthening GHA and achieving UHC. We will reiterate the urgent need to foster innovation and to strengthen research and development of safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable medical countermeasures (MCMs) as underlined by the 100 Days Mission. We commit to enhancing equitable access to MCM, including by addressing issues relating to manufacturing and delivery. In this regards, we will continue to contribute to ongoing processes, including in the G20, on an end-to-end MCM ecosystem, aligned with the ongoing discussions on the WHO CA+ and which should actively contribute to the diversification of MCM production and address the priority of the most vulnerable partner’s needs and expectations, including in terms of global governance, in cooperation with relevant partners including the WHO, the WB, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Global Fund, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) and Unitaid and Medicines Patent Pool, regional organizations and the private sector. To this end, we announce the G7 Hiroshima Vision for Equitable Access to MCMs and launch the MCM Delivery Partnership for equitable access (MCDP) to contribute to more equitable access to and delivery of MCMs based on the principles of equity, inclusivity, efficiency, affordability, quality, accountability, agility and speed. We commit to work across providers of development finance, for the purpose of identifying concrete options this summer for providing for the liquidity for global health organizations to procure and deliver MCMs earlier in a crisis. This supports the mapping exercise for surge financing to be conducted by the WHO and World Bank and presented at the G20 Finance and Health Task Force and the UNGA HLM, contributing to ongoing negotiations on the WHO CA+. We also reiterate our commitment to addressing global health threats including those exacerbated by climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution through integrated measures and by applying a holistic One Health approach. Recognizing the rapid escalation of AMR globally, we continue to commit to exploring and implementing push and pull incentives to accelerate R&D of antimicrobials as well as promoting antimicrobial access and stewardship for their prudent and appropriate use toward the UNGA HLM on AMR in 2024. We remain committed to promoting policies and resources to care for people living with dementia and welcome the development of potentially disease modifying therapies for the various types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

 

Labor

 

36. We emphasize the importance of investment in human capital to ensure a just transition, in response to structural changes such as digital and green transformations as well as demographic changes including societies that are ageing, in part due to declining birth rates. In order to facilitate these transformations, we commit to supporting individuals through reskilling and upskilling measures, along with a combination of appropriate social protection and active labor market policies. As reskilling and upskilling to support workers to adapt to these changes are investments in human capital and should not be seen as a cost, we must continue to provide adequate investment necessary to address workforce transition needs including vocational training and life-long learning. We commit to efforts towards achieving a virtuous cycle of workers’ well-being and social and economic vitality, which will lead to sustainable growth and real wage growth in line with productivity, contributing in turn to further investment in human capital. We emphasize that freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining play an important role in promoting decent work and wage growth. We are resolved to build an inclusive labor market that ensures decent and good quality jobs for all and leaves no one behind, especially, women and under-represented groups, including persons with disabilities, older persons and youth, while engaging constructively with social partners and other stakeholders. We also work towards quality job creation, universal access to social protection, and further improving gender equality in the labor market. The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected women and girls, and has highlighted the unequal distribution of care work as a key cause of gender inequalities, while showing the essential role paid and unpaid care work plays in the functioning of our societies and economies. We commit to addressing underlying discriminatory social and gender norms, such as unequal sharing of paid and unpaid care-work and housework, promoting and protecting social security including parental leave, providing support for childcare and other field of care work and care economy, including by facilitating access to infrastructures and long-term care. In particular, we reaffirm the need to support and promote parenthood protection to ensure parents can combine work and family and personal life and actively contribute to all spheres of our society. We also highlight the need to recognize, reduce and redistribute unpaid care, reward care workers fairly, while generating sufficient care jobs to meet the demand for care, and give care workers representation in social dialogue and collective bargaining. We recognize the importance of enhancing work engagement and worker retention through various measures such as promoting health and well-being at work, ensuring occupational safety and health, and supporting the inclusive and equitable career development of workers. We commit to promoting decent work in line with SDG 8, including through technical cooperation, as well as ensuring respect for international labor standards and human rights in global value chains, in particular the fundamental conventions adopted by the International Labor Organisation (ILO).  We reiterate our commitment to the effective abolition of all forms of forced and compulsory labor and child labor. We reaffirm our commitment to taking measures to strengthen our cooperation and collective efforts towards eradicating all forms of forced labor from global supply chains. We commit to continuing to promote decent work and protect rights-holders in global supply chains through a smart mix of mandatory and voluntary measures, including through legislation, regulations, incentives and guidance for enterprises and to engage constructively in discussions at the UN and the ILO in close consultation with all relevant stakeholders to explore ideas and options for a consensus-based legally binding instrument at the international level that adds value to the existing legal and policy approaches and is implementable. We endorse the Action Plan for Promoting Career Development and Greater Resilience to Structural Changes developed by Labor and Employment Ministers.

 

Education

 

37. We commit to making progress for ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education, including vocational education, and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all to build resilient, just and prospering societies. Recent crises have led to decreased access to education and increased learning loss amongst children and youth, especially girls, and those in the most marginalized and vulnerable situations. As education is a catalyst to achieving all of the SDGs, we reaffirm the importance of upholding education and building more resilient education systems, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic. We reiterate our firm determination to uphold the G7’s previous commitments to protecting educational opportunities for all learners, and to promoting gender equality as well as the empowerment of all women and girls in all their diversity, in and through education including by prioritizing global ODA in this regard. We welcome the UNSG’s Transforming Education Summit (TES) in September 2022, and call for continued support to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), Education Cannot Wait (ECW) and UN agencies including the UNESCO and UNICEF as key partners in helping countries to build stronger education systems for the most marginalized children. We also reiterate the importance of foundational learning and the need for the G7 to increase investment in people in a more equitable and efficient way to provide quality learning opportunities that prepare all learners, especially children with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive and improve their own well-being, noting that education is a human right. We continue to break down gender-related barriers and underlying discriminatory social norms from pre-primary through higher education for more resilient, inclusive and gender-transformative education. We continue to encourage international exchanges between youth and international talent mobility and circulation among academics, students, and researchers, as well as cooperation between higher education and research institutions. We acknowledge the importance of investment in support of human resources that can contribute to resolving social issues while simultaneously achieving economic growth through education. We will strive for an educational environment and lifelong learning opportunities where every child can fulfil their own potential, including through the improvement of instruction. This could include promoting small class size, an improved Information and Communication Technology (ICT) environment and the effective use of digital technology to support teaching and learning, while not exacerbating the digital equality gaps.

 

Digital

 

38. We recognize that, while rapid technological change has been strengthening societies and economies, the international governance of new digital technologies has not necessarily kept pace. As the pace of technological evolution accelerates, we affirm the importance to address common governance challenges and to identify potential gaps and fragmentation in global technology governance. In areas such as AI, immersive technologies such as the metaverses and quantum information science and technology and other emerging technologies, the governance of the digital economy should continue to be updated in line with our shared democratic values. These include fairness, accountability, transparency, safety, protection from online harassment, hate and abuse and respect for privacy and human rights, fundamental freedoms and the protection of personal data. We will work with technology companies and other relevant stakeholders to drive the responsible innovation and implementation of technologies, ensuring that safety and security is prioritized, and that platforms are tackling the threats of child sexual exploitation and abuse on their platforms, and upholding the children’s rights to safety and privacy online. We continue to discuss ways to advance technology for democracy and to cooperate on new and emerging technologies and their social implementation, and look forward to an inclusive, multi-stakeholder dialogue on digital issues, including on Internet Governance, through relevant fora, including the OECD Global Forum on Technology. We commit to further advancing multi-stakeholder approaches to the development of standards for AI, respectful of legally binding frameworks, and recognize the importance of procedures that advance transparency, openness, fair processes, impartiality, privacy and inclusiveness to promote responsible AI. We stress the importance of international discussions on AI governance and interoperability between AI governance frameworks, while we recognize that approaches and policy instruments to achieve the common vision and goal of trustworthy AI may vary across G7 members. We support the development of tools for trustworthy AI through multi-stakeholder international organizations, and encourage the development and adoption of international technical standards in standards development organizations through multi-stakeholder processes. We recognize the need to immediately take stock of the opportunities and challenges of generative AI, which is increasingly prominent across countries and sectors, and encourage international organizations such as the OECD to consider analysis on the impact of policy developments and Global Partnership on AI (GPAI) to conduct practical projects. In this respect, we task relevant ministers to establish the Hiroshima AI process, through a G7 working group, in an inclusive manner and in cooperation with the OECD and GPAI, for discussions on generative AI by the end of this year. These discussions could include topics such as governance, safeguard of intellectual property rights including copy rights, promotion of transparency, response to foreign information manipulation, including disinformation, and responsible utilization of these technologies. We welcome the Action Plan for promoting global interoperability between tools for trustworthy AI from the Digital and Tech Ministers’ Meeting. We recognize the potential of immersive technologies, and virtual worlds, such as metaverses to provide innovative opportunities, in all industrial and societal sectors, as well as to promote sustainability. For this purpose, governance, public safety, and human rights challenges should be addressed at the global level. We task our relevant Ministers to consider collective approaches in this area, including in terms of interoperability, portability and standards, with the support of the OECD. We express our interest in possible joint cooperation in research and development on computing technologies. We also task our relevant Ministers to consider ways to further promote digital trade.

 

39. We reaffirm that cross-border data flows, information, ideas and knowledge generate higher productivity, greater innovation, and improved sustainable development, while raising challenges related to privacy, data protection, intellectual property protection, and security including that of data and cloud infrastructure. We reiterate the importance of facilitating Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT) to enable trustworthy cross-border data flows and invigorate the digital economy as a whole, while preserving governments’ ability to address legitimate public interest. We stress our intention to operationalize this concept and our support for cooperation within the G7 and beyond to work towards identifying commonalities, complementarities and elements of convergence between existing regulatory approaches and instruments enabling data to flow with trust, in order to foster future interoperability such as through supporting multi-stakeholder engagement, leveraging the role of technologies, and clarifying domestic and municipal policies and due processes. In this regard, we endorse the Annex on G7 Vision for Operationalising DFFT and its Priorities from the Digital and Tech Ministers’ Meeting, and the establishment of the Institutional Arrangement for Partnership. We task our relevant Ministers to continue working to deliver substantive outcomes and subsequently report back to us. We welcome the OECD Declaration on Government Access to Personal Data Held by Private Sector Entities as an instrument to increase trust in cross-border data flows among countries committed to democratic values and the rule of law. We emphasize our opposition to internet fragmentation and the use of digital technologies to infringe on human rights. In this context, we should counter unjustified obstacles to the free flow of data, lacking transparency, and arbitrarily operated, which should be distinguished from our measures implemented to achieve the legitimate public policy interests of each country. We seek to increase trust across our digital ecosystem and to counter the influence of authoritarian approaches. We recognize the importance of secure and resilient digital infrastructure as the foundation of society and the economy. We are committed to deepen our cooperation within the G7 and with like-minded partners to support and enhance network resilience by measures such as extending secure routes of submarine cables. We welcome supplier diversification efforts in ICTS supply chains and continue to discuss market trends towards open, interoperable approaches, alongside secure, resilient and established architecture in a technology neutral way. Under the Japanese G7 Presidency and against the background of early deployments of Open Radio Access Network (RAN), we have exchanged views on open architectures and security-related aspects and opportunities. We recognize the need to bridge the digital divides, including the gender digital divide, and the importance of initiatives to use data and technology for cities, such as smart city initiatives, to promote digital inclusion and address challenges in urban development. We will facilitate inclusive development and enable greater employability and movement of digital experts, and restate our commitment to supporting other countries to increase digital access under principles of equity, universality and affordability while ensuring that security, interoperability, the protection of personal data and respect for human rights including gender equality are built into global connectivity.

 

Science and Technology

 

40. We support the development of advanced technologies, research infrastructures and highly-skilled human resource networks that will drive innovation to solve global challenges and enable the next stage of economic growth. To this end, we promote international talent mobility and circulation. The G7 will promote open science by equitably disseminating scientific knowledge, publicly funded research outputs including research data and scholarly publications following the Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) principles. This will enable researchers and people to benefit from and contribute to creating knowledge, innovation and solutions to global challenges. We further commit to working together to promote responsible global science and technology cooperation and use of emerging technologies such as advanced computing and biotechnology with partners sharing common values and principles in research and innovation. This includes a better understanding of the seas and the ocean in the context of climate change and utilizing very large research infrastructures. We are committed to fostering and promoting a common understanding of values and principles in research and innovation through dedicated multilateral dialogues, including in the area of research security and research integrity, and international joint research based on the philosophy of open science. We welcome the forthcoming launch of the G7 Virtual Academy and release of the Best Practices Paper on Research Security and Integrity. These efforts will contribute to addressing the various challenges that arise at the intersection of security, economy, and scientific research.

 

41. We reiterate our commitment to promoting the safe and sustainable use of outer space, given our ever-greater reliance on space systems. Restating the importance of addressing the issues of space debris, we strongly support the implementation of international guidelines adopted at the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space as urgent and necessary. We welcome national efforts to develop further solutions for space debris mitigation and remediation as well as further research and development of orbital debris mitigation and remediation technologies. Furthermore, we commit not to conducting destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile testing and encourage others to follow suit in order to ensure the security, stability and sustainability of outer space.

 

Gender

 

42. Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls is fundamental for a resilient, fair, and prosperous society. We endeavor to work with all segments of society to ensure full, equal and meaningful participation of women and girls in all their diversity as well as LGBTQIA+ persons in politics, economics, education and all other spheres of society, and to consistently mainstream gender equality in all policy areas. In this respect, we commit to redoubling our efforts to overcome longstanding structural barriers and to addressing harmful gender norms, stereotypes, roles, and practices through such means as education and achieve a society where diversity, human rights and dignity are respected, promoted and protected and all people can enjoy vibrant lives free from violence and discrimination independent of gender identity or expression or sexual orientation. We welcome the work of the Gender Equality Advisory Council (GEAC) and look forward to strengthening it further. We look forward to the first revision of the G7 Dashboard on Gender Gaps and the publication of the first implementation report this year, which aims to monitor past G7 commitments to make progress on gender equality.

 

43. We express our strong concern about the rollback of women’s and girls’ rights in particular in time of crisis and we strongly condemn all violations and abuses of human rights and fundamental freedoms for women and girls and LGBTQIA+ people around the world. We further recognize the essential and transformative role of comprehensive SRHR in gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment, and in supporting diversity, including of sexual orientations and gender identities. We reaffirm our full commitment to achieving comprehensive SRHR for all , including by addressing access to safe and legal abortion and post abortion care. We are committed to championing, advancing and defending gender equality and the rights of women and girls in all their diversity, at home and abroad, and will work together to thwart attempts to undermine and reverse hard-won progress in this area. In this regard, we commit to advancing, implementing and strengthening the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda including its application to disaster risk reduction (DRR), through partnership with the WPS-Focal Points Network and support for National Action Plan development, and to promote intersectional approaches. We highlight the leading role of women in preventing violent conflict, delivering relief and recovery efforts, and forging lasting peace, and pledge to champion the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in peace and political processes. We commit to strengthening our efforts to eliminate conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, and the importance of providing comprehensive support and meaningful participation for victims and survivors, using a survivor-centered approach. We further commit to eliminating all forms of sexual and gender-based harassment and abuse both offline and online as well as aid-related sexual exploitation and abuse. We are committed to ensuring the right to education for all, and emphasize the importance of promoting equitable access to safe, gender-transformative quality education as well as to taking measures to close the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) sectors and education, and close the gender digital gap. We see this as key to promote women’s entrepreneurship, which is an essential building block to address the climate, nature and development challenges. We also commit to promoting reskilling and upskilling, fostering decent work conditions, strengthening financial inclusion of women in all their diversity, and eliminating the gender pay gap. We further reiterate our commitments to promoting women’s full empowerment as well as their full and equal participation in decision-making processes at all levels, including in leadership positions. We recognize that quality care plays an essential role in the functioning of our societies and economies, but is a key cause of gender inequalities due to its gender unequal distribution.

 

44. To advance our commitments, we emphasize the need to overcome the fragmentation and marginalization of gender equality issues by enhancing our efforts to integrate and deepening gender mainstreaming for a substantial transformation of our societies. In this regard, we call for a continuous, holistic and comprehensive approach to promote gender equality by creating a “nexus” that bridges the political and security, economic and social spheres and advocate for maximizing the efficiency and the impact of multi-sectorial policies and of our actions across diverse dimensions of policy implementation. We stress the importance of such a nexus approach in our foreign and sustainable development policy and in our ODA and endeavor to support the nexus. We reaffirm our commitment to make every effort to collectively increase the share of our bilateral allocable ODA advancing gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment over the coming years. In this regard, we welcome “the Fact Sheet: Promoting Gender Mainstreaming through the nexus approach” made by our experts and look forward to further progress in this area.

 

Human Rights, Refugees, Migration, Democracy

 

45. We reaffirm our commitment to upholding human rights and dignity of all, as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, so that everyone can participate fully and equally in society. We commit to firmly speaking out against human rights violations and abuses, and at the same time, listening to and assisting the countries and civil society organizations that seek to defend and promote human rights through dialogue and cooperation. Recognizing the need to deepen discussions within and beyond the G7 on business and human rights, we intend to strengthen cooperation and collective efforts, including by accelerating exchange of information, towards ensuring respect for human rights and international labor standards in business activities and global supply chains, and further enhancing resilience, predictability and certainty for businesses, and call upon others to join us in these efforts. We reaffirm our commitment to protecting refugees, supporting forcibly displaced persons and supporting host countries and communities, ensuring the full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms of refugees and displaced persons, and defending and promoting the rights of marginalized people or persons facing vulnerable conditions exacerbated by conflict, crisis, and displacement, including freedom from sexual and gender-based violence. We call upon the international community to follow suit. We commit to fighting against impunity and holding perpetrators to account for the most serious crimes of international concern, including conflict-related sexual violence, together with improving documentation. In this regard, we recall the need to strengthen international architecture to prevent conflict-related sexual violence in the future. We acknowledge the importance of the discussions of the International Law Commission’s draft articles on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity. We continue to work with the international community towards the second Global Refugee Forum in December 2023. We reaffirm our commitment to support the inclusion of refugees, in the spirit of international cooperation and in line with the Global Compact on Refugees, national policies, legislation, and circumstances, ensuring full respect for their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

 

46. We reaffirm our commitment to ensuring the safe, orderly, and regular migration around the world. We recognize the important economic and social benefits that migrants can bring to our countries. We commit to ensure full respect for their human rights and fundamental freedoms regardless of their migration status. We remain committed to preventing irregular and often highly dangerous migration whether by land or sea. We commit to joint efforts to tackle the organized criminal networks which facilitate illegal migration and the dangerous journey of migrants and asylum seekers, profiting off some of the most vulnerable. We call for firmness in dealing with this ruthless criminality that puts lives in danger and poses risks to the internal security of G7 partners. In this regard, we will intensify efforts to break the business model of organized criminal networks, including through cooperation to disrupt the supply chains that enable the criminal and exploitative operations of those engaged in the trafficking and smuggling of human beings. To this end, we will task relevant Ministers to deepen partnerships to enhance our understanding of the root causes and work together with partners around the world to address this complex challenge.

 

47. We reaffirm our shared belief that democracy is the most enduring means to advance peace, prosperity, equality and sustainable development. We reaffirm our commitment to protecting the information environment by supporting media freedom and online freedom, including protection from online harassment and abuse, internet shutdowns and disruptions, as well as addressing foreign information manipulation and interference, including disinformation, which is designed to undermine trust in democratic institutions, and sow discord in the international community. We strongly condemn the widespread use of information manipulation and interference by Russia in order to gain support for its war of aggression against Ukraine and to obscure the facts of its aggression. Through the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), we will work to strengthen our collective efforts to counter threats to democracy, including such manipulation, with full respect for international human rights law, in particular freedom of expression. We will work towards ensuring that fact-based, quality and trustworthy information is promoted, and call on digital platforms to support this approach. We will increase cooperation on these issues with government and non-governmental partners from all regions who share the determination to promote access to such information, including through supporting relevant international initiatives, such as the Partnership for Information and Democracy, and efforts by the UN and OECD.

 

Countering Terrorism, Violent Extremism and Transnational Organized Crime / Upholding the Rule of Law / Anti-Corruption

 

48. We reiterate our strong commitment to working together with all relevant actors to counter all forms of terrorism and violent extremism, both online and offline, as well as transnational organized crime, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, child sexual abuse and exploitation, corruption, fraud, intellectual property theft, ransomware threats, cybercrime and environmental crimes, as well as money laundering and terrorist financing in a unified, coordinated, inclusive, transparent and human-rights-based, gender-responsive manner. In countering the exploitation of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes and countering the misuses of technologies for criminal purposes, we will continue our utmost efforts to enhance global cooperation and digital response capacity. In this regard, building on our collaboration and on efforts through existing frameworks such as the Christchurch Call, and recalling previous commitments, including maintaining tightly controlled lawful access, we call on the private sector to step up their efforts to address the problem of dissemination of terrorist and violent extremist content online and to prioritize safety by design, and stop, in particular, child sexual exploitation and abuse on their platforms. We support the efforts of our partner countries to sign and ratify the relevant international agreements such as the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), and those of the Council of Europe such as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, in the wide spectrum of cooperation by criminal justice and other relevant authorities that form the basis for efficient cross-border cooperation. We also recognize the significant public health and security threat of illicit synthetic drugs and will strengthen our cooperation to address it, engaging with other willing countries and the private sector.

 

49. We will also strengthen bilateral, regional and multilateral coordination and cooperation in the field of law and justice, such as providing technical assistance to countries to develop and implement laws, and capacity building related to the justice sector. We will continue to step up our fight against corruption, promoting good governance and strengthening accountable, transparent, equitable and community-oriented law enforcement to make progress on many of our shared priorities, which will lead to safer and more secure societies and thus contribute to the promotion of the rule of law and respect for human rights. We further recognize that corruption and related illicit finance and proceeds of crime drain public resources, can often fuel organized crime, enable kleptocratic systems to accumulate wealth and power at the expense of citizens, and undermine democratic governance. We will pursue a stronger and more unified approach in rigorously enforcing international anti-corruption obligations and standards, and enhancing law enforcement cooperation, including through relevant regional and international organizations, and holding corrupt actors accountable. Recalling the importance of beneficial ownership transparency for the integrity and transparency of democratic systems, we reaffirm the importance of supporting African partners in establishing and strengthening registers of beneficial ownership.

 

Regional Affairs

 

50. We stand together on core foreign policy and security challenges to build a more secure and prosperous future. We also reaffirm our determination to work with a wide range of partners to address pressing global challenges and to ensure that the international system is able to respond effectively to these issues.

 

51. We stand together as G7 partners on the following elements, which underpin our respective relations with China:

 

We stand prepared to build constructive and stable relations with China, recognizing the importance of engaging candidly with and expressing our concerns directly to China. We act in our national interest. It is necessary to cooperate with China, given its role in the international community and the size of its economy, on global challenges as well as areas of common interest.

 

We call on China to engage with us, including in international fora, on areas such as the climate and biodiversity crisis and the conservation of natural resources in the framework of the Paris and Kunming-Montreal Agreements, addressing vulnerable countries’ debt sustainability and financing needs, global health and macroeconomic stability.

 

Our policy approaches are not designed to harm China nor do we seek to thwart China’s economic progress and development. A growing China that plays by international rules would be of global interest. We are not decoupling or turning inwards. At the same time, we recognize that economic resilience requires de-risking and diversifying. We will take steps, individually and collectively, to invest in our own economic vibrancy. We will reduce excessive dependencies in our critical supply chains.

 

With a view to enabling sustainable economic relations with China, and strengthening the international trading system, we will push for a level playing field for our workers and companies. We will seek to address the challenges posed by China’s non-market policies and practices, which distort the global economy.  We will counter malign practices, such as illegitimate technology transfer or data disclosure. We will foster resilience to economic coercion. We also recognize the necessity of protecting certain advanced technologies that could be used to threaten our national security without unduly limiting trade and investment.

 

We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas. We strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion.

 

We reaffirm the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as indispensable to security and prosperity in the international community. There is no change in the basic positions of the G7 members on Taiwan, including stated one China policies. We call for a peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.

 

We will keep voicing our concerns about the human rights situation in China, including in Tibet and Xinjiang where forced labor is of major concern to us. We call on China to honor its commitments under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, which enshrine rights, freedoms and a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong.

 

We call on China to act in accordance with its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular relations, and not to conduct interference activities aimed at undermining the security and safety of our communities, the integrity of our democratic institutions and our economic prosperity.

 

We call on China to press Russia to stop its military aggression, and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine. We encourage China to support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on territorial integrity and the principles and purposes of the UN Charter, including through its direct dialogue with Ukraine.

52. There is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, and we oppose China’s militarization activities in the region. We emphasize the universal and unified character of the UNCLOS and reaffirm UNCLOS’s important role in setting out the legal framework that governs all activities in the oceans and the seas. We reiterate that the award rendered by the Arbitral Tribunal on July 12, 2016, is a significant milestone, which is legally binding upon the parties to those proceedings, and a useful basis for peacefully resolving disputes between the parties.

 

53. We strongly condemn North Korea’s unprecedented number of unlawful ballistic missile launches, each of which violated multiple UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs). We demand that North Korea refrain from any other destabilizing or escalatory actions, including any further nuclear tests or launches that use ballistic missile technology, which undermine regional stability and pose a grave threat to international peace and security. Such reckless actions must be met with a swift, united, and robust international response. This must include further significant measures to be taken by the UN Security Council. We reiterate our unwavering commitment to the goal of North Korea’s complete, verifiable, and irreversible abandonment of its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs, and any other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs in accordance with relevant UNSCRs. We are concerned about North Korea’s choice to prioritize its unlawful WMD and ballistic missile programs over the welfare of the people in North Korea. We call on North Korea to accept repeated offers of dialogue, including from Japan, the United States, and the Republic of Korea. We urge North Korea to respect human rights, facilitate access for international humanitarian organizations, and resolve the abductions issue immediately.

 

54. We remain deeply concerned about the deteriorating security, humanitarian, human rights, and political situation in Myanmar, and we express our solidarity with its people. We continue to support ASEAN’s efforts including its continued engagements with all stakeholders in Myanmar to implement the Five-Point Consensus, including through Indonesia as the ASEAN Chair and ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar. We continue to call on the Myanmar military to immediately cease all violence, release all political prisoners and those arbitrarily detained, create an environment for an inclusive and peaceful dialogue, and return the country to a genuinely democratic path. We reiterate our call on all states to prevent the flow of arms into Myanmar. We also call for full, safe, and unimpeded humanitarian access to all people, especially the most vulnerable.

 

55. We note with grave concern increased threats to stability and the dire humanitarian and economic situation in Afghanistan. We call on the Taliban to uphold its counterterrorism commitments and to ensure the territory of Afghanistan cannot be used to threaten or attack any country, to plan or finance terrorist acts, or to shelter and train terrorists. We express our strongest opposition to the Taliban’s systematic violations on human rights and fundamental freedoms, and call for the immediate reversal of unacceptable decisions, especially those against women and girls. All Afghans must enjoy full, equal, and meaningful participation in all spheres of public life, and have access to humanitarian assistance and basic services. We call upon the Taliban to respect UNSCR 2681/2023 and the UN Charter, including Article 8, and to ensure unrestricted operations of the UN in Afghanistan. To remedy the persistent lack of political inclusivity and representation, we urge the Taliban to take significant steps to engage in credible, inclusive and Afghan-led national dialogue, in which all Afghans can be involved. We recognize the need for conveying unified messages to the Taliban in coordination with other international partners.

 

56. We reiterate our clear determination that Iran must never develop a nuclear weapon. We remain deeply concerned about Iran’s unabated escalation of its nuclear program, which has no credible civilian justification and brings it dangerously close to actual weapon-related activities. A diplomatic solution remains the best way to resolve this issue. In that context, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action continues to provide a useful reference. We call on Iran to take prompt and concrete actions to fulfill its legal obligations and political commitments, including nuclear non-proliferation and safeguards obligations. We reiterate our profound concern over Iran’s systemic human rights violations and abuses, including its repression of popular feminist protest as well as the targeting of individuals, including women, girls, minority groups, and journalists, in and outside of Iran. We call on Iran’s leadership to end all unjust and arbitrary detentions.

 

57. We express our grave concern regarding Iran’s continued destabilizing activities, including the transfer of missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and related technologies to state and non-state actors and proxy groups, in breach of UNSCRs including 2231 and 2216. Iran must stop supporting Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. In particular, we call upon Iran to cease transferring armed UAVs, which have been used to attack Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and kill Ukrainian civilians. We welcome initiatives to improve bilateral relations and de-escalate tensions in the region, including Iran and Saudi Arabia’s recent agreement to restore ties. We emphasize the importance of ensuring maritime security in the Middle East’s waterways and call on Iran not to interfere with the lawful exercise of navigational rights and freedoms by all vessels.

 

58. We call on Israelis and Palestinians to take steps to build trust toward the realization of a two-state solution. To this end, all parties must refrain from unilateral actions, including settlement activities and incitement to violence. We reiterate our support for the historic status quo in Jerusalem. We welcome the recent meetings between Egypt, Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, and the United States and hope their commitments will be fulfilled in good faith. We will continue our support for Palestinian economic self-reliance and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

 

59. We remain firmly committed to an inclusive, UN-facilitated political process consistent with UNSCR 2254 in Syria. We reaffirm that the international community should only consider normalization and reconstruction assistance once there is authentic and enduring progress towards a political solution. We express our continued support for the work of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and are committed to accountability for those responsible for the use of chemical weapons and violations of international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, as applicable. We call for full and unhindered humanitarian access to all Syrians in need, particularly through UN cross-border aid for which there is no alternative in scope or scale. We remain committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS, including durable solutions for ISIS detainees and displaced persons remaining in Northeast Syria.

 

60. We further express our support to preserve stability and prosperity in other parts of the Middle East and North Africa. Regarding Yemen, we call on all parties to secure a durable ceasefire and work towards a comprehensive, durable, and inclusive Yemeni-led political process under UN auspices. We encourage the Tunisian government to meet the democratic aspiration of its people, to address its economic situation and to reach an agreement with the IMF. We also support efforts to achieve stability and unity in Libya under the auspice of the UN in coordination with the African Union and the Arab League. We urge all Libyan stakeholders to work constructively on the political process in order to hold free, fair, and inclusive presidential and parliamentary elections by the end of 2023.

 

61. We reaffirm our engagement with Central Asian countries to address various regional challenges, including the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression, the destabilizing effect of the situation in Afghanistan, food and energy security, terrorism, and climate change. We are determined to foster trade and energy links, sustainable connectivity and transportation, including the “Middle Corridor” and associated projects to enhance regional prosperity and resilience.

 

62. We are deepening our partnerships with African countries and regional organizations, including the African Union. We have each expressed support to African calls for stronger representation in international fora, notably the G20. We reiterate our strong commitment to supporting governments in the region to address, in a manner consistent with international law, the underlying conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, violent extremism, and instability across Africa. We are seriously concerned about the growing presence of the Russia-affiliated Wagner Group forces on the continent and their destabilizing impact and human rights abuses. Keeping in mind the situations in West Africa and the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and the Great Lakes regions, we will work together to support African-led efforts on peace, stability and prosperity on the continent. In this regard, we welcome the positive developments stemming from the cessation of hostilities agreement between the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, and call on both parties to remain committed to full implementation. We also call for international support for the Somali President’s reform priorities and the fight against al-Shabaab. We reaffirm our commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of Congo. We welcome the cessation of hostilities agreed in March and call for its full implementation. We condemn the advance of the UN-sanctioned March 23 Movement armed group (M23) and join African leaders in calling for M23 to withdraw unconditionally from all territories it controls. We are also seriously concerned about the spread of terrorist threats and activities towards coastal countries in West Africa, and are available to lend our support in addressing those threats.

 

63. We strongly condemn the ongoing fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. This threatens the security and safety of civilians, undermines efforts to restore Sudan’s democratic transition, and could affect the stability of the region. We urge the parties to end hostilities immediately without pre-conditions and return civilian-led democratic government. We call on all actors to renounce violence and take active steps to reduce tensions, and ensure the safety of all civilians, including humanitarian personnel. The parties to the conflict must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, ensure the safety of all civilians, including humanitarian personnel, and not impede or restrict the delivery of life-saving aid. We commend the bravery and fortitude of humanitarian agencies working in Sudan. We acknowledge the generosity of Sudan’s neighbors who, despite facing significant humanitarian challenges of their own, host a growing number of Sudanese refugees. We commit to supporting response operations in Sudan and across East and North Africa and the Sahel region for refugees and returnees.

 

64. We highlight the importance of enhancing cooperation with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to uphold shared interests as well as values. We are committed to working with regional partners to address economic challenges, climate change, biodiversity loss, natural disasters, and other global issues. We reiterate our commitment to strengthen coordination with Latin American and Caribbean partners and other actors to promote the rule of law, respect for human rights, and meet the elevated humanitarian and security needs in the region, especially in Venezuela, Haiti, and Nicaragua. With respect to the ongoing crisis in Haiti, we underscore the importance of working towards Haitian-led solution for a return to stability and need to hold accountable those who cultivate violence, corruption and instability.

 

65. We welcome the Agreement on the path to normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia and its Implementation Annex, reached under the EU facilitated dialogue in Brussels on February 27 and in Ohrid on March 18 respectively. In order to unlock its full potential for the citizens of Kosovo and Serbia and for advancing good-neighbourly relations in the Western Balkans, we call on both parties to implement expediently and in good faith their respective obligations.

 

Conclusion

 

66. We appreciate the exchanges with and the inputs from the G7 Engagement Groups. We are furthermore grateful for the valuable contributions from the Heads of the IEA, the IMF, the OECD, the UN, the WB, the WHO and the WTO who joined us in Hiroshima.

 

Reference documents:

 

G7 Leaders’ Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament

G7 Leaders’ Statement on Ukraine

G7 Clean Energy Economy Action Plan

G7 Leaders’ Statement on Economic Resilience and Economic Security

Hiroshima Action Statement for Resilient Global Food Security

Factsheet on the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment

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MAY 20, 2023

G7 Clean Energy Economy Action Plan

HOME

BRIEFING ROOM

STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

     We, the leaders of the G7, are acting and enhancing cooperation to address the climate crisis and accelerate the global clean energy transition to reach net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the Paris Agreement. We recognize that public and private investment in the industries of the future both at home and around the world will be necessary to achieve these goals and that further cooperation is necessary in order to fill the investment gap for the clean energy transition to lower the cost of the energy transition worldwide. We acknowledge that our trade policies will play a major role in achieving our common goals and that these must be based on our commitment to strengthening the rules-based, fair, equitable, and transparent multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core. We are working to comprehensively reform and strengthen the multilateral trading system so that it can effectively respond to the most pressing issues of our time including sustainable development and the clean energy transition. We stress that, in driving clean energy economy of the future, we will cooperate openly and transparently in a coordinated manner reflecting our joint commitment not to act at each other’s expense. We commit to upholding the views mentioned above as the cornerstone of a just transition to a clean energy economy that achieves sustainable growth and high-quality jobs. In this context, we underline the significance of building secure, resilient, affordable, and sustainable clean energy supply chains and strong industrial bases that reduce undue strategic dependencies and benefit local workers and communities around the world. We also acknowledge the role clean energy technologies play in achieving these goals and to this end commit to research and further collaboration in this area. Our joint efforts to lead the transition to a clean energy economy will be based on our collective commitments to engage in policies that effectively incentivize partners to achieve an ambitious clean transition of their economies, lift workers, support marginalized communities, protect the environment, and uphold and strengthen the rules-based multilateral system. Acknowledging the clean energy aspirations of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and the critical role they play in the clean energy transition, our Action Plan seeks to deepen our cooperation with and support for partners around the world to ensure that the transition to the clean energy economies of the future reduces poverty and advances shared prosperity.

 

I. Moving Forward United

 

     We will move forward united in order to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. While acknowledging that there are various pathways according to each country’s energy situation, industrial and social structures, and geographical conditions, we highlight that these should lead to our common goal of net zero by 2050 at the latest, in order to keep a limit of 1.5 °C temperature rise within reach. To achieve this shared goal, we are working against zero-sum competition. As we implement our policies, we will seek to resolve differences that may arise through dialogue, cooperation, and coordination. We reaffirm our commitment to continue working within the open, cooperative, and inclusive Climate Club in collaboration with international partners to support global efforts to decarbonize our economies. We, as founding members of the Climate Club, look forward to making decarbonised industrial production the default business case over time, thereby contributing to supporting green growth, and addressing, inter alia, carbon leakage and other possible risks to mitigation efforts, while complying with international rules. We welcome those countries that have already announced their participation.  

 

II. Maximizing the Impact of Incentives

 

     We recognize that achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement urgently requires significant new incentives, industrial policies, and public as well as private investments. We recognize that the clean energy transition will require filling the investment gaps to lower the cost of energy transition globally. We will work to ensure that our regulations and investments will make clean energy technologies more affordable for all nations and help drive a global, just energy transition for workers and communities that will leave no one behind. We commit to transparency and coordination on our policies so that they serve our common goal of maximizing deployment of clean energy technologies and practices, promote fair and free trade and are mutually supportive and consistent with our commitment to our multilateral trading system as well as preserving a level playing field, and will refrain from taking measures that undermine these efforts. Together we are working against zero-sum competition and developing policies and practices that promote global trade and investment so that our incentives maximize clean energy deployment and jobs for every partner—and allow capital to flow into LMICs.

 

III. Reducing Emissions Through Trade Policy

 

     We recognize that trade and trade policies are important tools to tackle climate change and can be drivers of sustainable growth. Based on this recognition, we will pursue trade policies that drive decarbonisation and emissions reduction, by spurring markets to account for embedded emissions in traded goods, and affirm that environmental standards should not be lowered to unfairly gain competitive advantage. We welcome the work of the WTO in this area. We recognize that, while sharing common goals, our climate policies may take different approaches including carbon pricing mechanisms, regulations, and incentives. We will also collaborate intensively on our efforts to develop the necessary data and tools, such as information on embedded emissions throughout supply chains, to implement such policies. We recognize that the risk of carbon leakage may increase with more divergent climate policy ambition and will continue to work collaboratively, including with relevant international organizations, to address this risk. We request that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report to us on the progress of the Inclusive Forum on Carbon Mitigation Approaches (IFCMA) to explore methodological approaches for computing carbon intensity of goods or sectors.

 

IV. Establishing Resilient Global Supply Chains

 

     The Covid-19 pandemic and the energy crisis have laid bare vulnerabilities in our supply chains, with significant impacts within and beyond our borders. We share a goal to increase total investment in the clean energy manufacturing supply chain and accelerating the development and deployment of relevant technology.  We look forward to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) report of its progress on clean energy supply chain by COP 28. In addition, we recognize the importance of analyzing vulnerabilities of our supply chains including stress testing. We put emphasis on scaling up investments globally into the manufacturing and installation of clean energy technologies and diversifying clean energy supply chains in a way that ensures they are secure, resilient, affordable, and sustainable, seeking to reduce and avoid undue dependency arising from geographically concentrated clean energy supply chains. In this context, we will support local value creation in critical minerals supply chains, including processing and refining, based on our commitment to our multilateral trading system to make them robust, resilient, responsible, and transparent. Cooperation is also necessary so that these supply chains are aligned with internationally-accepted standards on responsible business conduct such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, ILO Tripartite Declaration and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. We commit to establishing new partnerships with LMICs that will play critical roles in building secure, resilient, affordable, and sustainable clean energy supply chains for local and global energy transitions. We will utilize the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) to catalyze public and private finance towards quality climate and energy security investments that will support LMICs to fully benefit from the diversification of supply chains, reduce high-risk dependencies, and to meet their own clean energy transition goals. As part of PGII, we will seek to work with partners to develop a pipeline of bankable projects, by identifying new incentives and methods to unlock additional private capital towards these priorities to support and accelerate our partners’ clean energy transitions and contribute to long-lasting economic growth in LMICs. In parallel, we task the Finance Ministers to turn their “High-level Policy Guidance for Public Finance Tools to Build Resilient Supply Chains in the Era of Decarbonization” into specific actions by developing the “Partnership for RISE (Resilient and Inclusive Supply-chain Enhancement)” in collaboration with interested partners and international organizations, especially the World Bank Group, with the aim at its launch by the end of this year at the latest. We will continue our collaboration through the Minerals Security Partnership to strengthen supply chains for critical minerals, promote responsible and sustainable investment in extraction and processing, and recycling and drive high Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) standards. We will promote supply chains in line with high ESG standards that ensure benefits to local communities and advance a just energy transition rooted in social dialogue, social and environmental protection, rights at work and employment. We also promote the private sector’s adoption of due diligence requirements in line with the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the OECD’s Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas to increase responsible business conduct. To support this effort, we welcome the new report by the IEA to the summit and will ask the IEA to produce a clean energy manufacturing roadmap leading up to a high-level international workshop in 2023.

 

V. Promoting Clean Energy Technologies

 

     We will continue working together to make clean technologies and sustainable solutions, in particular renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency measures, the most affordable, accessible and attractive option globally through international activities, and to lead by example through public procurement to catalyze sustainable supply chains. We promote research, wide use, import and export of clean energy technologies and products. We will do this in the context of promoting open, transparent competitive energy markets and will work to develop technical international standards for critical minerals markets through the International Organization for Standardization. We also underline the important role of start-ups and small and medium enterprises to contribute to innovation and technologies for net-zero, and look forward to the G7’s collaboration with ambitious start-ups globally.

 

     We will keep supporting the research, development, and deployment of clean technologies as a critical enabler of an accelerated clean energy transition in LMICs. As a first step, we invite the IEAto convene an international forum with relevant parties from the public sector, finance, corporate, research and start-ups.

 

VI. Promoting Trade and Investment in Clean Energy Goods and Services

 

     We are committed to facilitating trade and investment in goods and services, including critical minerals that promote the reduction of greenhouse gases to help meet our climate objectives and mobilize additional capital for clean energy technologies while preventing economic and security risks caused by vulnerable supply chains. We will work together, in particular in international organizations such as the WTO to further facilitate trade of such services and goods that contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation and promote the clean energy transition across the product’s lifecycle. Specifically, we will work to identify environmental goods and services and technologies that meaningfully help combat climate changes and coordinate efforts among G7 countries to promote production and trade in those supply chains. As part of this effort, we will advance work at the WTO to promote a circular economy for clean energy goods and services. In addition, we will explore ways for trade rules and trade policy to incorporate these efforts, and further incentivize reducing embedded emissions in clean energy goods and services, in a WTO-consistent manner.

 

VII. Support for Global Partners

 

     We are committed to supporting countries around the world as they fight poverty and reorient their economies to deliver inclusive and sustainable growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. We recognize that these longstanding development priorities are deeply intertwined with global challenges, including meeting ambitious climate goals. To that end, we reaffirm our strong commitment to support countries in clean just energy transitions, including ensuring successful progress of Just Energy Transition Partnerships, using the synergies with the PGII. We are stepping up our efforts to provide climate finance for LMICs. We are taking steps to evolve the multilateral development banks, starting with the World Bank, to better respond to global challenges as an essential component of poverty reduction and shared prosperity. While broader than clean energy, this evolution is an essential component of our strategy to ensure that economies beyond the G7 are well positioned to fully realize the benefits of the transition to the clean energy economy of the future. We welcome the organization of a summit on development financing by France in Paris in June to enhance the resilience of vulnerable countries and encourage the green transition of developing and emerging economies, while generally stepping up our efforts for the realization of the 2030 Agenda overall. Through this Clean Energy Economy Action Plan, we will work together to create trade policies that decarbonize our economies, accelerate the development of resilient clean energy supply chains, grow shared markets for clean energy goods and services, and mobilize significant public and private sector climate and energy security investments for our LMIC partners. We will engage in this work with partner countries around the world to overcome our shared energy and climate challenges and ensure a more stable and prosperous future.

 

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MAY 20, 2023

G7 Leaders’ Statement on Economic Resilience and Economic Security

HOME

BRIEFING ROOM

STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

    Fostering mutually beneficial partnerships and supporting resilient and sustainable value chains remains our priority to reduce risk both for our economies, as well as globally, and ensure sustainable development for all. Recent events have highlighted vulnerabilities in economies around the world to natural disasters, pandemics, geopolitical tensions and coercion. Recalling our commitment from the 2022 G7 Elmau Summit, we are taking additional steps today to enhance our ongoing strategic coordination on economic resilience and economic security by reducing vulnerabilities and countering malign practices that exploit and reinforce them. This complements the corresponding steps we are taking to enhance supply chain resilience as laid out in the G7 Clean Energy Economy Action Plan. We underline the importance of cooperating both within the G7 as well as with all our partners to enhance global economic resilience, including by supporting a more significant role for low and middle-income countries in supply chains in a way that also promotes their diversification and local value creation and benefits local workers and communities everywhere. We will address non-market policies and practices designed to reinforce dependencies, and will counter economic coercion. We will continue to ensure that the clearly defined, narrow set of sensitive technologies that are crucial for national security or could threaten international peace and security are appropriately controlled, without unduly impacting broader trade in technology. We affirm that our cooperation to strengthen economic resilience and economic security will be rooted in maintaining and improving a well-functioning international rules-based system, in particular the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core. To these ends, we will work and coordinate through the G7 framework to make year-on-year progress in a holistic manner.

 

Enhancing global economic resilience

 

Building resilient supply chains

 

The COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has laid bare vulnerabilities in supply chains in countries around the world. Supply chain disruptions have had devastating impact for developing, emerging, and advanced economies alike. We recognize that transparency, diversification, security, sustainability, and trustworthiness and reliability are essential principles on which to build and strengthen resilient supply-chain networks among trusted partner countries both within and outside the G7. We encourage all nations to support these principles on resilient and reliable supply chains. We reaffirm our strong will to support the wider international community, particularly developing countries, in building their resilience, including through implementing the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. Our partnerships honor international law, are free and fair, and foster mutually beneficial economic and trade relationships. Drawing lessons from recent incidents of weaponizing energy and other economic dependencies, we stand firmly against such behavior. We will enhance resilient supply chains through partnerships around the world, especially for critical goods such as critical minerals, semiconductors and batteries. We will step up our efforts to strengthen channels of communication to address supply disruptions and share insights and best practices, including from respective scenario-based stress testing.

 

Building resilient critical infrastructure

 

We emphasize the importance of cooperating on enhancing security and resiliency in critical infrastructure particularly in the digital domain. We welcome projects that strengthen the resilience of the ICT ecosystem including mobile, satellite and core networks, submarine cables, components and cloud infrastructure. We support an innovative and competitive digital ecosystem of trustworthy vendors, welcome supplier diversification efforts, and continue to discuss market trends towards open, interoperable approaches, alongside secure, resilient and established architectures in a technology neutral way. Under the Japanese G7 Presidency and against the background of early deployments of Open RAN, we will continue to exchange views on open architectures and security-related aspects and opportunities. We support open, global, market-driven, and inclusive multi-stakeholder approaches for the development of technical standards for telecommunications equipment and services to enable openness and interoperability in a technology neutral way. We discussed that such infrastructure requires a rigorous evaluation of equipment, consistent with existing measures such as those outlined in the Prague Proposals, and the EU’s 5G toolbox. We reaffirm the need to assess political, economic, and other risks of a non-technical nature posed by vendors and suppliers. We will continue our work to build resilient critical infrastructure by sharing information and best practices gained through our respective efforts.

 

Responding to harmful practices that undermine international rules and norms

 

Responding to non-market policies and practices to secure global economic resilience

 

We express renewed concerns about comprehensive strategies to use a range of non-market policies and practices such as pervasive, opaque, and harmful industrial subsidies, market distortive practices of state owned enterprises, and all forms of forced technology transfers, as well as other practices to create strategic dependencies and systemic vulnerabilities. Addressing non-market policies and practices can therefore be an integral aspect in enhancing economic resilience and thereby economic security. In light of increased use of non-market policies and practices to reinforce vulnerabilities, we reaffirm the need to make effective use of existing means while developing new tools as appropriate. We will continue to actively develop stronger international rules and norms to tackle non-market policies and practices that distort the level playing field, and strengthen efforts at the WTO to better address these issues.

 

Addressing economic coercion

 

The world has encountered a disturbing rise in incidents of economic coercion that seek to exploit economic vulnerabilities and dependencies and undermine the foreign and domestic policies and positions of G7 members as well as partners around the world. We will work together to ensure that attempts to weaponize economic dependencies by forcing G7 members and our partners including small economies to comply and conform will fail and face consequences. We express serious concern over economic coercion and call on all countries to refrain from its use, which not only undermines the functioning of and trust in the multilateral trading system, but also infringes upon the international order centered on respect for sovereignty and the rule of law, and ultimately undermines global security and stability. At our respective domestic levels, we will use our existing tools, review their effectiveness and develop new ones as needed to deter and counter the use of coercive economic measures. Recognizing the importance of existing joint efforts including at the WTO, we will enhance collaboration by launching the Coordination Platform on Economic Coercion to increase our collective assessment, preparedness, deterrence and response to economic coercion, and further promote cooperation with partners beyond the G7. Within this Coordination Platform, we will use early warning and rapid information sharing, regularly consult each other, collaboratively assess situations, explore coordinated responses, deter and, where appropriate, counter economic coercion, in accordance with our respective legal systems. We will also coordinate, as appropriate, to support targeted states, economies and entities as a demonstration of solidarity and resolve to uphold the rule of law.

 

Countering harmful practices in the digital sphere

 

We express concern about regulations that unjustifiably require companies to localize data or those that allow governments to access data without appropriate safeguards and protections. As a result of geopolitical and geo-economic upheavals, global business value and supply chains, especially those of our critical infrastructure, are exposed to risks. We will therefore deepen our strategic dialogue to seek to counter malicious practices in the digital sphere to protect global value and supply chains from illegitimate influence, espionage, illicit knowledge leakage, and sabotage.

 

Cooperating on international standards setting

 

We recognize the importance of technical standards in the global economy and reaffirm our commitment to collectively support the development of open, voluntary and consensus-based standards that will shape the next generation of technology. These should be based on inclusive multi-stakeholder approaches in line with our common democratic values and principles. Reflecting on shared values and principles, we will identify and address issues related to international standards setting, where they arise, through information sharing and engagement in the established standards setting processes. We will deepen our cooperation through information sharing including with wider public and private stakeholders in international standards setting activities, and support effective standards setting. To this end, we reaffirm our continued collaboration including through the Framework for G7 Collaboration on Digital Technical Standards.

 

Addressing shared concerns regarding threats to international peace and security

 

Protecting international peace and security by preventing leakage of critical and emerging technologies

 

As we deepen research and development among G7 partners on critical and emerging technologies, we affirm our shared responsibility and determination to coordinate on preventing the cutting-edge technologies we develop from being used to further military capabilities that threaten international peace and security. To that end, we will share, as appropriate, information and experiences to further develop common understanding of such risks and the policy tools needed to address them, and take further actions where necessary, including those related to export and investment, corresponding to the circumstances of each country. We will further strengthen multilateral efforts to cooperate in the field of export controls to ensure gaps in our dual use technology protection ecosystem cannot be exploited. We have a common interest in preventing the narrow set of technological advances that are assessed to be core to enhancing the military and intelligence capabilities of actors who may use these capabilities to undermine international peace and security, from being fueled by our companies’ capital, expertise, and knowledge. We recognize that appropriate measures designed to address risks from outbound investment could be important to complement existing tools of targeted controls on exports and inbound investments, which work together to protect our sensitive technologies from being used in ways that threaten international peace and security. As we continue to work to make our economic security toolkits fit for today’s challenges, we will provide clarity to the private sector regarding these common goals. We will also continue to coordinate, share lessons, and seek to align our approaches where feasible to maximize the effectiveness of our efforts.

 

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MAY 19, 2023

Background Press Call Previewing Day Two of the G7 Summit

 

PRESS BRIEFINGS

Via Teleconference

 

MODERATOR:  Hi, everyone.  Good evening.  Thanks so much for joining tonight’s call, and apologies for the delay.

 

We’re going to — we’re here to preview the next day of the G7.

 

For your awareness, not for your reporting, on the line here we have [senior administration official].

 

This call is on background, attributable to a “senior administration official.”  And the embargo for the call is actually 11:30 p.m. Japan Standard Time, 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time on the 19th.  Again, that’s 11:30 p.m. Japan Standard Time and 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time, May 19th.

 

With that, I’ll turn it over to [senior administration official] for some thoughts at the top, and then we’ll take your questions.

 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Great.  Thanks, [moderator].

 

So I thought I would do two things just to set the stage here.  First, I wanted to talk a little bit about the state- — G7 statement on Ukraine that has just been released by the Japanese presidency as the first of a series of statements that will come out of this leaders’ summit, and give you a sense of what exactly — what is in that statement and what it will mean in terms of the actions that we’ll be taking in the coming days.

 

I think when it comes to the statement that you’ll see — that you can already see released by the Japanese presidency, it really speaks to the unity of Ukraine on — or of the G7 on these issues.  I think you will see a package that not only reaffirms our condemnation of Russia’s illegal war of aggression, but also takes real concrete steps to both meet Ukraine’s needs — security needs, humanitarian needs, financial and economic needs — for as long as it takes, and then also to continue increasing the costs on Russia.

 

I think maybe I’ll zoom in on those costs on Russia, the elements.  We’ll — you’ll see tomorrow morning, D.C. time, the U.S. Department of Treasury, alongside the Department of State and Commerce, take new actions in conjunction with the rest of the G7 to impose costs on Russia.

 

Those will have — it’s a quite broad package, but some of the key elements include additional steps to restrict Russian imports of U.S. and other G7 technologies and other products that could be used against Ukraine on the battlefield, and making sure that anything that is used on the battlefield is controlled so Russia can no longer use Western technologies and inputs to prosecute its war.

 

Second, we’ve got a very strong package of measures aimed at countering circumvention and evasion, including, in really one of the strongest packages that we’ve ever seen of unity among the G7, in imposing costs on third-country evaders who are facilitating Russia’s ability to circumvent and evade our sanctions.

 

Finally, the — finally, I would highlight we are also taking steps to target Russia’s future extractive capabilities.  And that’s designed to go after some of the key sources of revenue that Russia has, not now, in a way that would potentially increase prices for consumers around the world and potentially increase revenues for Russia, but instead to make sure that they are unable to develop their future extractive capabilities, and which will mean that the cost of this war on Russia grow over time.

 

So maybe I’ll pause there on the Ukraine statement and turn to what you’ll see tomorrow.

 

So, tomorrow we’ll have another very packed day of G7 and meetings.  I think that — sorry about that.  Sorry for the pause.  And I’m going to focus on a few things in terms of the highlights that you’ll see tomorrow.

 

So, first, you’ll continue to see unity across the G7.  And I think that is going to be a real theme of this G7 Summit.  I think one of the things that I’ve observed in doing these negotiations is that the G7 is just more united than ever across a really broad range of issues.

 

So, in terms of the things you’ll see tomorrow, you’ll particularly — we’ll be releasing in G7 statements when it comes to economic security, we will be releasing a communiqué that highlights a common approach on China, and we’re also releasing a G7 statement on the clean energy transition.

 

On China, G7 leaders are going to make clear that we are all united around a set of principles that underpin all of our approaches to China.  And these are grounded in common and shared values.

 

As we’ve emphasized already as the United States, all of the G7 are looking to de-risk, not decouple, from China.  And you’ll also see that we’re all aligned in principles that will guide each of the relationships in other ways — so when it comes to human rights, when it comes to thinking about how do we deal with some of the challenges about China’s non-market policies and practices.

 

You can also expect to see us in the economic security space outline a common set of tools that we’ll use to address common concerns, both when it comes to China but also for other countries around the world, in terms — including economic coercion.

 

We’ll also be talking about — one of the things we’ve discussed a lot is how do we address the evolving nature of technology and its impact potentially on military advancement and what should the G7 together — do together about it.

 

You’ll also see unity in how we’re rallying around the need for bold action to accelerate the clean energy transition, which has been a major priority for the President.  And we’re taking this on — (audio drops) — (inaudible) the blueprint for broader G7 action.

 

And you — I think in this area, you’ve already seen a number of other countries take steps in this direction, like the EU and Canada.  You’ll also see G7 countries deepening their commitments on that way forward.  And you’ll — more broadly and, I think, very importantly, should see that the G7 are united around this approach and that this is something that we will be doing together and in cooperation as we move forward.

 

Second, tomorrow we’ll also reaffirm our commitment to scale up investments in low- and middle-income countries through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, or PGII, which is a signature G7 initiative.

 

Tomorrow, we’ll be co-hosting a PGII side event with Japan and the EU.

 

G7 — for those of you who are not familiar, the G7 leaders launched PGII at last year’s summit, and we’ve been delivering game-changing investments since then.

 

Looking ahead, the United States will be working with our partners to build out transformative economic corridors through PGII, which you’ll hear the President speak to today.

 

This means we’re driving infrastructure investments that can boost and connect economic development across multiple countries and sectors, like rail expansion that can open investment opportunities like large-scale farming, digital infrastructure, and renewable energy generation.

 

We’ll continue to work in partnership with the private sector.  And you’ll see we invited private sector representatives to join us today at the PGII side event, or tomorrow Japan time.

 

We’ll be more comprehensively engaging investors so that we can better mobilize capital for infrastructure in emerging markets.

 

We will do all of this work with a real focus on raising labor and environmental standards and promoting transparency, governance, and anti-corruption measures.

 

We’re giving countries a real alternative, opening a serious, sustainable challenge to unlocking public and private capital for these projects in the developing world.

 

This work goes hand in hand with President Biden’s commitment to steering institutions like the World Bank to evolve and expand to address global challenges that directly affect its core mission of poverty reduction, including climate change.  And we’re very pleased to have Ajay Banga taking up his role as president of the World Bank early next month to be able to drive that vision forward.

 

Finally, you’re going to see, tomorrow, the United States demonstrate our ongoing commitment to strengthen health security around the world.

 

President Biden will announce that USAID will make — plans to make a $250 million contribution, with congressional notification, to the Pandemic Fund to expand our global health security efforts.  This planned investment will help catalyze additional contributions from other donors as well.

 

And with that, I’m happy to take your questions.

 

MODERATOR:  All right.  Thank you, [senior administration official].  If you have a question, please use the “raise your hand” function on Zoom, and we’ll take as many of them as we can.

 

First, let’s go to Trevor.  Trevor, you should be able to unmute yourself.

 

Q    Thanks for taking the question.  Just two things related to some of what you talked about.  One, curious if there’s going to be an opportunity to have a bilat with Vietnam and talk about some of the issues related to China.  And also just curious if there’s going to be anything in this — these announcements related to critical minerals supply chain diversification.  Thank you.

 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Great.  On your first question, I have nothing to announce about the President’s schedule tonight.

 

On your second question, in terms of critical minerals supply chain diversification, it’s something that the G7 has discussed a lot.  I mean, there’s a lot of unity around the need to take action to make sure that our supply chains, both for critical minerals but also for other essential items, are diversified and resilient.

 

You’ll see elements of that in both the Clean Energy Action Plan, where critical mineral supplies is absolutely essential to securing a resilient clean energy economy of the future.  And you’ll also see the elements of that in our work on economic security, which will also be published tomorrow.

 

So, a lot to unpack there.  But I would say that it’s — there — the resilience of our supply chains for critical minerals and other items has been a real theme of this G7.  And so there will be things to look forward to tomorrow, in terms of announcements.

 

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Next up, let’s go to Jordan Fabian.  Jordan, you should be able to unmute yourself.

 

Q    Hi there.  You know, you just said that, you know, we’re going to see a lot of things happen at the summit.  But the reality is that the media covering the President hasn’t been able to see much of anything at the summit.  And so, how is the White House planning to make sure the American public knows, you know, what the President is doing here, if the plan is really to limit or really curtail access to the working sessions at the G7?

 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Great.  So — so, just to reiterate what I think we’ve previously said, Japan is in charge of all of the arrangements, including press condu- — credentials for the summit, so I’d refer you to the Japanese presidency.

 

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Next up, we’ll go to Demetri.  Demetri, you should be able to unmute yourself.

 

Q    Hi.  Thanks very much.  I’ve two questions, [senior administration official].  The first is: On economic security in China, are you going to actually unveil specific measures and tools to counter China, or is it more kind of a general alignment and unity on principles to do that?

 

And secondly, I’m just curious, with the — the appearance of Zelenskyy on Sunday, do you think that kind of complements some of the things you’re trying to do in China by linking what’s happening in Europe to some of the potential contingencies in Asia in the future?

 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Great.  So — so, Demetri, on your first question, I don’t want to get out ahead of the statement that the Japan — Japanese presidency is going to release tomorrow on economic security.  But I will say that we were very specific in discussing both tools and common approaches and unity around the principles and unity about — around the concerns and the risks that are posed to our economies’ fundamental security.

 

On your second question, I just don’t have anything to say about the travel of foreign leaders.  So, I think we’ll — we’ll leave it at that.

 

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our last question will go to Patsy.  Patsy, you should be able to unmute yourself.

 

Q    Hi.  Thank you for taking my question.  So, a couple of things.  You mentioned PGII.  Can you give us an update in terms of actual numbers?  I understand that the goal is to shore up up to $600 billion within five years.  This is starting from last year.

 

And if you could speak on whether there are any debt-restructuring efforts, particularly for post-pandemic debt that were accumulated through infrastructure and other loans, mainly from China.

 

And if you have an update on the trilateral between U.S., Japan, and South Korea, please.  Thanks.

 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Great.  Thanks.  So — so, on your first question, on — on specific numbers with PGII, we’ll be having a fantastic side event tomorrow, and we’ll have more to say on that then once those — those numbers have been released.

 

On the — your second question on debt, this actually has been something that we’ve discussed extensively here at the G7, most importantly because we have a real problem in the international economy right now, which is that China is blocking the functioning of normal debt-relief mechanisms as well as the new mechanism that has been set up under the G20, called the Common Framework.

 

And so we have a real issue where the debts that have been accumulated by countries because of — over the course of — of China’s lending practices are not being addressed in a prompt and adequate way.

 

So we had good conversations here with G7 partners about the importance of this issue.  We are — we’ll be raising the importance of this issue in the communications that G7 pushes out.  And it’s a major issue of focus because we very much acknowledge that the debt crisis facing vulnerable economies around the world are a major challenge at this moment and are interrelated with development, with climate, with resilience — and so something that we are very much focused on and are really working to think about how to push China to be a constructive player, not block the debt relief these countries need.

 

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  And thanks, everyone, for joining.

 

As a reminder, this call was on background, attributable to a “senior administration official,” and the embargo lifts at 11:30 p.m. Japan Standard Time and 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time, both on the 19th.

 

Thanks again for joining.

 

END

 

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MAY 19, 2023

G7 Leaders’ Hiroshima Vision on Nuclear Disarmament

 

STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

     We, the Leaders of the G7, met at a historical juncture in Hiroshima, which together with Nagasaki offers a reminder of the unprecedented devastation and immense human suffering the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki experienced as a result of the atomic bombings of 1945. In a solemn and reflective moment, we reaffirm, in this first G7 Leaders’ document with a particular focus on nuclear disarmament, our commitment to achieving a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all.

 

     We underscore the importance of the 77-year record of non-use of nuclear weapons. Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, undermining of arms control regimes, and stated intent to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus are dangerous and unacceptable. We recall the statement in Bali of all G20 leaders, including Russia. In this context, we reiterate our position that threats by Russia of nuclear weapon use, let alone any use of nuclear weapons by Russia, in the context of its aggression against Ukraine are inadmissible. We recall the Joint Statement of the Leaders of the Five Nuclear-Weapon States issued on January 3, 2022, on Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding Arms Races, and affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. We call on Russia to recommit – in words and deeds – to the principles enshrined in that Statement. Our security policies are based on the understanding that nuclear weapons, for as long as they exist, should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression and prevent war and coercion.

 

     The overall decline in global nuclear arsenals achieved since the end of the Cold War must continue and not be reversed. The Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) must be upheld as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and the foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy. We reaffirm our commitment to the ultimate goal of a world without nuclear weapons with undiminished security for all, achieved through a realistic, pragmatic and responsible approach. In this regard, Japan’s “Hiroshima Action Plan” is a welcome contribution. We deeply regret Russia’s decision to undermine the New START Treaty, and call on Russia to enable a return to full implementation of the Treaty. At the same time, China’s accelerating build-up of its nuclear arsenal without transparency nor meaningful dialogue poses a concern to global and regional stability.

 

     We emphasize the importance of transparency with regard to nuclear weapons and welcome actions already taken by the United States, France and the United Kingdom to promote effective and responsible transparency measures through providing data on their nuclear forces and the objective size of their nuclear arsenal. We call on nuclear-weapon States that have not yet done so to follow suit. To promote transparency, we also call on nuclear-weapon States that have yet to do so to engage with non-nuclear-weapon States in a meaningful dialogue on transparency regarding their nuclear arsenals and limiting nuclear competition, including through an open explanation of national reports coupled with an interactive discussion with non-nuclear-weapon States and civil society participants at future NPT related meetings. In this regard, we stress the benefit of pre-notification of relevant strategic activities, as a substantial contribution to risk reduction. The G7 recognizes the need for concrete steps by nuclear-weapon States to reduce strategic risks. We call on China and Russia to engage substantively in relevant multilateral and bilateral forums, in line with their obligations under the NPT, including Article VI.

 

     We call for the immediate commencement of long overdue negotiations of a treaty banning the production of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. 2023 will mark the 30th year since the consensual adoption of a United Nations (UN) General Assembly resolution calling for a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT), and we urge all countries to refocus political attention towards the FMCT as a priority action to forestall a recurrence of the nuclear arms race, including any and all independent or complementary efforts. In this regard, we call on all states that have not yet done so to declare and maintain voluntary moratoria on the production of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.

 

     We are resolute in our view that no nation should carry out any nuclear weapon test explosion or other nuclear explosion, condemn any threats to do so, and emphasize that bringing the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) into force is another urgent matter. We remain committed to upholding the global norm against nuclear explosive testing until it is legally binding and call on all states to declare new or maintain existing moratoriums on nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions. We express our concern over Russia’s announcement of its readiness to conduct a nuclear test, and we call for Russia’s adherence to its moratorium on nuclear tests. We further underscore the essential role of the CTBTO Preparatory Commission in detecting and reporting suspected nuclear explosions worldwide. The G7, collectively, has supported the CTBTO’s activities in the amount of more than 100 million US dollars in 2023. We reaffirm the G7’s commitment to providing sufficient resources to ensure the continued operation and the long-term sustainability of all elements of the CTBT verification system and call on others to do the same.

 

     A world without nuclear weapons cannot be achieved without nuclear non-proliferation. We reiterate our unwavering commitment to the goal of North Korea’s complete, verifiable, and irreversible abandonment of its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs, and any other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs in accordance with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs). We demand North Korea refrain from any other destabilizing or provocative actions, including any further nuclear tests or launches that use ballistic missile technology. North Korea cannot and will never have the status of a nuclear-weapon State under the NPT. It is critical that sanctions be fully and scrupulously implemented by all states and remain in place for as long as North Korea’s WMD and ballistic missile programs exist. We remain deeply concerned about Iran’s unabated escalation of its nuclear program, which has no credible civilian justification and brings it dangerously close to actual weapon-related activities. We reiterate our clear determination that Iran must never develop a nuclear weapon and we call on all countries to support the implementation of UNSCR 2231. We urge Iran to cease nuclear escalations. We call on Iran to fulfill its legal obligations and political commitments regarding nuclear non-proliferation without further delay. A diplomatic solution remains the best way to resolve international concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear program. In that context, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action continues to provide a useful reference. We call on Iran to uphold its safeguards obligations and stated commitments with prompt and concrete action. We commend and continue to fully support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) crucial mandates and efforts in Iran.

 

     In these times of uncertainty and tension, it is of paramount importance to preserve, resource and strengthen existing regimes and other global efforts. We urge all states to take their responsibilities seriously to meet the highest standards of safeguards, safety, and security in promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, science, and technology, including those related to the deployment of next-generation nuclear technologies. We further express our profound concern over Russia’s attempt to control Ukraine’s nuclear facilities, which poses serious nuclear safety and security risks and is in total disregard of Ukraine’s right under the NPT to pursue peaceful uses of nuclear energy. We reaffirm the importance of the implementation of the highest standards of safeguards of the IAEA and the universal adoption of the Additional Protocol (AP) as fundamental components of the nuclear non-proliferation regime. We will promote a reliable and responsible nuclear supply chain, in accordance with the highest standards of nuclear non-proliferation, including the application of the AP. We support further discussions within the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) towards the establishment of the AP as a condition of supply in the Group’s guidelines. Those G7 countries which opt for nuclear power, or related peaceful nuclear applications, recognize that the use of nuclear energy, science, and technology contributes to providing affordable low-carbon energy. The G7 notes the contribution of nuclear technology applications, in such fields as medicine or isotope hydrology, to promoting prosperity and addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We reiterate our utmost commitment to the G7-led Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, which for more than 20 years has delivered concrete impactful programming to advance nuclear non-proliferation in every part of the world.

 

     We emphasize that the transparency of the management of civil plutonium must be maintained. We oppose any attempt to produce or support the production of plutonium for military programs under the guise of civilian programs, which undermines the objectives of the NPT including the promotion of peaceful uses of nuclear energy. In this regard, we underscore the importance of the implementation of the Guidelines for the Management of Plutonium (INFCIRC 549). We call on all states that committed to reporting annually their holdings of all plutonium in peaceful nuclear activities to the IAEA to fulfill those commitments. We recognize the need to manage civil stocks of highly enriched uranium with the same sense of responsibility as the plutonium covered by these guidelines. We also commit to prioritizing efforts to reduce the production and accumulation of weapons-usable nuclear material for civil purposes around the world.

 

     Achieving the world we hope to see requires a global effort to take us from the harsh reality to the ideal, no matter how narrow the path may be. In this regard, we underscore the importance of disarmament and non-proliferation education and outreach. We encourage other leaders, youth and people from around the world to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki to raise and sustain awareness of the realities of nuclear weapons use one can witness in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. To this end, we welcome initiatives such as the “Youth Leader Fund for a World without Nuclear Weapons” by Japan, the “Young Professionals Network” of P5, the “Youth Champions for Disarmament” financed by Germany, and the “Young Women Next Generation Initiative” established by the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium, as well as other initiatives that support the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in addition to the engagement of civil society in disarmament and non-proliferation processes.

 

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MAY 19, 2023

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at the G7 Summit Spousal Program’s Next Generations’ Symposium

 

SPEECHES AND REMARKS

Hiroshima, Japan
 

Last month, I had the honor of hosting Mrs. Kishida in Washington. And Yuko, I was moved by your kindness and generosity, and I know that the friendship between our nations continues to grow deeper with time. Thank you for welcoming us to your home.

 

Today, we gather just steps away from a monument that memorializes part of the deadliest war yet known to mankind. We must teach this history, so that we can understand the choices in front of us: choose creation over destruction, innovation over inhumanity, peace over bloodshed, democracy over autocracy.

 

Every generation inherits the world in their time. You, our youth, know that. You know that you are the future.But you are not just our future; you’re also our present.

 

And as the distances between us grow smaller, as both technology and the challenges of our modern times transcend borders and nationalities, what you do today can resonate throughout the world.

 

You are the builders of democracy. You are the dreamers of a better world. You are the keepers of peace.

 

Every day, I am inspired by the young people of the United States. Like them, I know that you are leading movements for change, working for climate justice and a sustainable future for all.

 

You show the world that change can happen, that young people can make it happen.

 

The future is not a far-away finish line. We are building it every day.

 

Raise your voice. Hold on to your dreams. And let’s create a better, freer, more peaceful world.  

 

May God bless us all.

 

Thank you.

 

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MAY 19, 2023

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at the G7 Summit Spousal Program’s Next Generations’ Symposium

 

SPEECHES AND REMARKS

Hiroshima, Japan

 

Last month, I had the honor of hosting Mrs. Kishida in Washington. And Yuko, I was moved by your kindness and generosity, and I know that the friendship between our nations continues to grow deeper with time. Thank you for welcoming us to your home.

 

Today, we gather just steps away from a monument that memorializes part of the deadliest war yet known to mankind. We must teach this history, so that we can understand the choices in front of us: choose creation over destruction, innovation over inhumanity, peace over bloodshed, democracy over autocracy.

 

Every generation inherits the world in their time. You, our youth, know that. You know that you are the future.But you are not just our future; you’re also our present.

 

And as the distances between us grow smaller, as both technology and the challenges of our modern times transcend borders and nationalities, what you do today can resonate throughout the world.

 

You are the builders of democracy. You are the dreamers of a better world. You are the keepers of peace.

 

Every day, I am inspired by the young people of the United States. Like them, I know that you are leading movements for change, working for climate justice and a sustainable future for all.

 

You show the world that change can happen, that young people can make it happen.

 

The future is not a far-away finish line. We are building it every day.

 

Raise your voice. Hold on to your dreams. And let’s create a better, freer, more peaceful world.  

 

May God bless us all.

 

Thank you.

 --------------------------------

 

 

MAY 19, 2023

G7 Leaders’ Statement on Ukraine

 

STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

1. Preamble

 

     At our meeting today in Hiroshima, we, the Leaders of the G7, reaffirmed our commitment to stand together against Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. We condemn, in the strongest terms, Russia’s manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations (UN) and the impact of Russia’s war on the rest of the world. 15 months of Russia’s aggression has cost thousands of lives, inflicted immense suffering on the people of Ukraine, and imperiled access to food and energy for many of the world’s most vulnerable people. We express our full sympathy and condolences to the Ukrainian people for their loss and suffering. We salute the Ukrainian people for their brave resistance. Our support for Ukraine will not waver. We will not tire in our commitment to mitigate the impact of Russia’s illegal actions on the rest of the world.

 

     Today we are taking new steps to ensure that Russia’s illegal aggression against the sovereign state of Ukraine fails and to support the Ukrainian people in their quest for a just peace rooted in respect for international law. We are renewing our commitment to provide the financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support Ukraine requires for as long as it takes. We are imposing further sanctions and measures to increase the costs to Russia and those who are supporting its war effort. And we are taking steps to support partners worldwide as they navigate the suffering caused by the Russia’s war, including through humanitarian assistance. We are also building on the success of our efforts to ensure that Russia is no longer able to weaponize the availability of energy against us and against the world. Since February 2022, we have adopted sanctions, import bans, and other measures to reduce our dependence on Russia’s source of energy. In addition, in Elmau, we agreed to launch a price cap on Russian oil and petroleum products. This is working. Russia’s revenues are down. Global oil and gas prices have fallen significantly, benefiting countries around the world.

 

2. Towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine

 

     We urge Russia to stop its ongoing aggression and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops and military equipment from the entire internationally recognized territory of Ukraine. Russia started this war and can end this war. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine constitutes a violation of international law, in particular the UN Charter. We reiterate our firm rejection of Russia’s illegal attempts to acquire Ukrainian territory by force. We underline that a just peace cannot be realized without the complete and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops and military equipment, and this must be included in any call for peace.

 

     Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, undermining of arms control regimes, and stated intent to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus are dangerous and unacceptable. We recall the statement in Bali of all G20 leaders, including Russia. In this context, we reiterate our position that threats by Russia of nuclear weapon use, let alone any use of nuclear weapons by Russia, in the context of its aggression against Ukraine are inadmissible.

 

     We once again recall the UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/ES-11/6 titled “Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine” adopted in February this year with the broad support of the international community, and will continue to pursue concrete efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine. We remain committed to diplomacy and welcome and support the earnest efforts by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in setting out basic principles in his Peace Formula in line with the UN Charter. With a view to a viable post-war peace settlement, we remain ready to reach arrangements together with Ukraine as well as interested countries and institutions on sustained security and other commitments to help Ukraine defend itself, secure its free and democratic future, and deter future Russian aggression. We are determined to help Ukraine build a positive future for its people. We welcome the key role that Ukraine plays in the European Political Community.

 

3. Nuclear safety and security

 

     We express our gravest concern over Russia’s grossly irresponsible seizure and militarization of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). We support the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) efforts to strengthen nuclear safety and security of, and the application of safeguards to, nuclear material and facilities in Ukraine, including through the continuous presence of IAEA experts and its focus on ensuring nuclear safety and security at the site. We reaffirm support for the IAEA Director General’s “Seven Indispensable Pillars of Nuclear Safety and Nuclear Security” and highlight the importance of ensuring and promoting the safety and security of nuclear facilities under any circumstances. In this context, we highlight the G7’s contribution to the IAEA’s efforts in Ukraine for this purpose and call on others to provide support.

 

4. Support to stop Russia’s war of aggression

 

     We commit to continuing our security assistance to Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia’s aggression, tailoring our support to Ukraine’s needs.

We stress the importance of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in coordinating military and defense assistance by each country provided in line with its national circumstances.

 

5. Support for recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine

 

     We reaffirm our strong commitment to ensuring that Ukraine has the economic support it needs. Under the leadership of Japan’s G7 Presidency, together with the international community, we have ensured Ukraine has the budget support it needs for 2023 and early 2024. We welcome the approval of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and look forward to the swift implementation of Ukraine’s reforms supported by the program. The program will help to stabilize Ukraine’s macroeconomic and financial situation, contribute to longer-term economic sustainability, and help to catalyze further financial support from other countries and institutions as well as the private sector.

 

     We welcome the progress made in discussions in the Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine and reaffirm our intention to further coordinate with Ukraine, partner countries and relevant international organizations. We are committed to addressing Ukraine’s recovery needs. We will continue our joint effort to support Ukraine’s repair of its critical infrastructure, recovery and reconstruction. We are determined to use the Platform as our primary mechanism to ensure that our assistance and support for reforms are well coordinated, properly sequenced, and mutually reinforcing. It will play a central role in coordinating donor support to match Ukrainian needs, advancing Ukraine’s reform agenda in line with its European path and helping to promote sustainable private sector-led growth. We also welcome the efforts of the G7+ Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on Ukraine Energy Sector Support and reiterate our continued support for restoring and upgrading Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. We stand ready to support the sustainable and resilient recovery and green reconstruction of Ukraine, including by sharing our experience, knowledge and expertise regarding humanitarian de-mining and war-related debris and pollution management.

 

     We recognize the importance of the role of the private sector for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, including through trade and investment, which may be facilitated through insurance and other tools to manage risk. In this regard, we welcome efforts by the World Bank Group, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and our Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) in accordance with their mandates. These efforts include the establishment of the Support for Ukraine’s Reconstruction and Economy (SURE) Trust Fund at the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) as well as the launch of the Ukraine Investment Platform in Tokyo on May 12 to support Ukraine and affected countries more broadly, through further efficient co-financing and greater collaboration among the DFIs, together with the EBRD. We expect the Ukraine Recovery Conference, which will be held in London in June this year, to reinforce momentum behind Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction.

 

6. Anti-corruption and justice system reform

 

     We welcome the continued determination and efforts of the Ukrainian government and people to combat corruption, and encourage continued implementation of an effective reform agenda that will support good governance and improve investor confidence.

We support Ukraine’s efforts to advance necessary institution-building as well as substantive legal reform in line with Ukraine’s European path, especially in the judicial sector and promotion of the rule of law.

 

7. Sanctions and other measures

 

     We remain united in imposing coordinated sanctions and other economic actions to further undermine Russia’s capacity to wage its illegal aggression. Specifically, we are taking the following measures, consistent with our respective legal authorities and processes and international law:

 

     We will further restrict Russia’s access to our economies. Building on previous measures taken to prevent Russia from accessing inputs in support of sectors key to its military industrial base, we will broaden our actions to ensure that exports of all items critical to Russia’s aggression including those used by Russia on the battlefield are restricted across all our jurisdictions, including exports of industrial machinery, tools, and other technology that Russia uses to rebuild its war machine. We will further target those operating in these key sectors, such as manufacturing, construction, and transportation as well as business services. We will starve Russia of G7 technology, industrial equipment and services that support its war machine. We will continue to shield agricultural, medical, and humanitarian products from our restrictive measures and make every effort to avoid potential spillover impacts on third countries.

 

     We will further prevent the evasion and circumvention of our measures against Russia, including targeting entities transporting material to the front. We will continue to work through the Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs (REPO) Task Force and the Enforcement Coordination Mechanism to enhance the effectiveness of our restrictive measures. We are engaging with third-countries through which restricted G7 goods, services, or technology may be provided to Russia to strengthen third-countries’ understandings of G7 measures. We note and encourage commitments made by these countries to ensure our measures are not circumvented and have the intended effect.

 

     We reiterate our call on third parties to immediately cease providing material support to Russia’s aggression, or face severe costs. We will reinforce our coordination to prevent and respond to third parties supplying weapons to Russia and continue to take actions against third-country actors who materially support Russia’s war.

 

     We will also work to further curtail Russia’s use of the international financial system to further its war in Ukraine. We are prepared to take further measures against those willfully supporting the financing of Russia’s war. We are taking steps to further reduce avenues for Russia to circumvent our financial measures including by preventing third-country branches of Russian banks from being used to avoid sanctions. We will continue to take necessary actions against Russia’s financial sector while coordinating to preserve financial channels for essential transactions.

 

     We will continue to reduce Russia’s revenue to finance its illegal aggression by taking appropriate steps to limit Russia’s energy revenue and future extractive capabilities, building on the measures we have taken so far, including export bans and the price cap for seaborne Russian-origin crude oil and refined oil products. We have dramatically reduced our reliance on Russian energy and commodities. We are determined to continue on this path so that Russia is no longer able to weaponize energy against us. We will further reduce reliance on civil nuclear and related goods from Russia, including working to assist countries seeking to diversify their supplies. We will also continue efforts to reduce Russia’s revenue from metals. Further, we remain committed to upholding the price caps on Russian oil and petroleum products and we will enhance our efforts to counter evasion of these caps while avoiding spillover effects and maintaining global energy supply.

 

     In order to reduce the revenues that Russia extracts from the export of diamonds, we will continue to work closely together to restrict trade in and use of diamonds mined, processed or produced in Russia and engage with key partners with the aim of ensuring effective implementation of future coordinated restrictive measures, including through tracing technologies.

 

8. Responsibility for Damage

 

     We will continue our efforts to ensure that Russia pays for the long-term reconstruction of Ukraine. In this context, we welcome the establishment, in the framework of the Council of Europe and to meet the request from the UN General Assembly, of a Registry of Damages Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation Against Ukraine. In line with the commitment made through the REPO Task Force, we will continue to take measures available within our domestic frameworks to find, restrain, freeze, seize, and, where appropriate, confiscate or forfeit the assets of those individuals and entities that have been sanctioned in connection with Russia’s aggression. We are taking steps to fully map holdings of Russia’s sovereign assets immobilized in our jurisdictions. We reaffirm that, consistent with our respective legal systems, Russia’s sovereign assets in our jurisdictions will remain immobilized until Russia pays for the damage it has caused to Ukraine.

 

9. Accountability

 

     There must be no impunity for war crimes and other atrocities, such as Russia’s attacks against civilians and critical civil infrastructure. We acknowledge the efforts made at the United for Justice international conference organized by the Government of Ukraine, and recall the Bucha Declaration that calls for accountability for the most serious crimes under international law committed on the territory of Ukraine.

 

     In this context, we reiterate our commitment to holding those responsible to account consistent with international law, including by supporting the efforts of international mechanisms, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC). We strongly condemn the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainians, including children, from the occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia, and will continue to follow the progress of the ICC investigation in this regard, with the utmost attention and call for the return of these children. We also deplore instances of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence against Ukrainians. We welcome the establishment of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

 

     In addition, welcoming the efforts by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in this context, we underscore the importance of the protection of education of all children, in particular those impacted as well as the preservation of Ukrainian cultural properties and heritage damaged and threatened by the war of aggression. We are also paying attention to the impact of Russia’s aggression on international sport. While fully respecting the autonomy of sporting organizations, we are focused on fair sporting competition as well as on ensuring that Russian and Belarusian athletes are in no way appearing as representatives of their states.

 

10. Support to vulnerable countries

 

     Parallel to our support to Ukraine, we reaffirm our commitment to address the growing needs of vulnerable countries which have been aggravated by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. In particular, we stress that Russia’s weaponization of food has compounded economic vulnerabilities, exacerbated already dire humanitarian crises, and escalated global food insecurity and malnutrition to unprecedented levels. We welcome the significant emergency financing delivered by the IMF through the Food Shock Window approved in October 2022 and support additional efforts towards vulnerable countries. We will continue to provide rapid assistance to help affected countries and populations, including through the Global Alliance for Food Security (GAFS). We will continue to support the export of Ukrainian agri-products including through the EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes. In this regard, we support the expansion and extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI) and we call upon Russia to stop threatening global food supplies and allow the BSGI to operate at its maximum potential. We remain committed to the Grain from Ukraine initiative. Our contributions support the delivery of humanitarian food assistance to the most vulnerable countries in partnership with the UN World Food Programme (WFP). We remain dedicated to concrete collaborative actions in order to enhance energy security and achieve climate commitments. We will continue to work together in solidarity to limit the impacts from the global energy crisis triggered by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine to support vulnerable and affected countries, such as through the International Energy Agency Task Force on Natural Gas and Clean Fuels Market Monitoring and Supply Security.

 

11. Conclusion

 

     We hereby pledge, from Hiroshima, the “symbol of peace”, that G7 members will mobilize all our policy instruments and, together with Ukraine, make every effort to bring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine as soon as possible.

 

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MAY 18, 2023

Background Press Call Previewing Day One of the G7 Summit

 

PRESS BRIEFINGS

Via Teleconference

 

7:57 A.M. EDT

 

MODERATOR:  All right.  I think we’ve got folks here.  We’ll go ahead and get started.  Apologies for the delay, everyone, and thanks for hopping on the call.

 

As a reminder, this call is on background, attributable to a senior administration official.  For your awareness and not for your reporting, here with me is [senior administration official].

 

And this call is embargoed until 8:30 — sorry, it’s embargoed until 5:00 a.m. Japan time tomorrow, May 19th, and 4:00 p.m. Eastern on May 18th, for those of you stateside.

 

And with that, I’ll turn it over to [senior administration official] for some thoughts at the top, and then we’ll take some of your questions.

 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thanks, everyone, for joining.  Again, apologies for starting late.  And good evening.

 

I wanted to start off by taking a quick step back and reiterating our main goals out of the G7 this year.

 

Of course, since President Biden took office, revitalizing our alliances and partnerships and reestablishing America’s leadership around the world has been one of his top priorities.

 

And thanks in no small part to his hard work, you will see this on display during the G7 Summit in Hiroshima over the next couple of days.  You will see on display that the G7 is, really, you know, more united now than ever.

 

This is true, of course, when it comes to our support for Ukraine, as the whole world has seen since the beginning of Russia’s brutal invasion.  But it’s also true in a range of other issues: how we’re approaching the PRC, how we’re protecting economic security, how we’re taking steps to address the climate crisis and accelerate the clean energy transition, and how we’re providing an affirmative agenda for the developing world.

 

You will see that unfold day by day here in Hiroshima.

 

Zeroing in on tomorrow, we have a packed agenda, so I’m going to start and really kind of dive deep on what we have on deck just over the next 24 hours.

 

One of the main areas of focus tomorrow will be showing our shared and continuing support for Ukraine.

 

Over the last 15 months, since Russia’s brutal invasion began, the G7 has stood in solidarity with Ukraine.

 

Tomorrow, you will hear a powerful statement of unity, strength, and commitment in our response to Russia’s war of aggression.

 

We have taken an array of actions to hold Russia accountable.  In coordination with our G7 partners, we’ve put in place the largest set of sanctions and export control actions ever imposed on a major economy.

 

This is quite a feat, and I’d also remind folks that it was just a little less than a year ago, at the G7 Summit in Elmau last June, that leaders agreed to pursue a policy to cap the price on Russian oil and petroleum products.

 

And over the last six months, since that policy was implemented under the guidance the leaders provided in Elmau, we successfully implemented this policy.  It’s achieving its goals, our goals of limiting Russian revenue while also promoting stability in global energy markets.  It’s also driving steep discounts, benefiting low- and middle-income countries that consume oil and energy products.

 

We remain committed to upholding the price cap.  That includes effective monitoring and enforcement, while also avoiding spillover effects and maintaining global energy security.

 

Our commitment to continue tightening the screws on Russia remains as strong as it was last year.  And so I think tomorrow you will see new steps taken to economically isolate Russia and to weaken its ability to wage war.

 

We’re — specifically you’ll see additional commitments in the Ukraine statement to this effect.  You’ll see, one, some significant efforts to further disrupt Russia’s ability to source inputs for its war.  Two, you’ll see efforts to close evasion loopholes.  Three, you’ll see further steps to reduce reliance on Russian energy.  Four, you’ll see continued efforts to squeeze Russia’s access to the international financial system.  And, five, you’ll see an ongoing commitment to keep Russia’s sovereign assets immobilized until the end of the war.

 

There will be actions to back up those principles that will be articulated in the Ukraine statement.  All G7 members are preparing to implement new sanctions and export controls.  I won’t get into the specifics of what partners are doing, but the United States will be rolling out a substantial package of our own.

 

So, bottom line is: We’re upping the economic pressure on Russia.

 

We will continue to expand export controls to make it even harder for Russia to sustain its war machine.  Among other things, this involves extensively restricting categories of goods key to the battlefield, and also cutting off roughly 70 entities from Russia and third countries from receiving U.S. exports by adding them to the Commerce blacklist.

 

Moreover, we will announce upwards of 300 new sanctions against individuals, entities, vessels, and aircraft.  These will go after circumvention.  These will go after financial facilitators, as well as future energy and extractive capabilities of Russia and other actors helping to support the war.  This will include designations across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

 

We’ll also expand our sanctions authorities to additional sectors of the Russian economy key to its military-industrial complex and impose new bans to prevent Russia from benefiting from our services.

 

As part of all of these efforts, you will see us take significant steps to align our actions even more closely with the ones imposed by the EU and the UK to ensure that, as the G7, we remain as coordinated as possible in our response to their bru- — to Russia’s brutal actions.

 

Just one more important note before we move to your questions.  President Biden and the other leaders are here in Hiroshima to participate in the G7, but tomorrow Prime Minister Kishida will take them to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum.  They will pay their respects to the people who lost their lives in this city 78 years ago.

 

And tomorrow, President Biden will also reaffirm the U.S.’s commitment to a nucle- — to nuclear nonproliferation, as reflected in the sessions here in Hiroshima.

 

And now I’ll turn to answering some of your questions.  Thank you.

 

MODERATOR:  Thanks.  First, we’ll go to the line of Demetri.

 

Q    Hi.  Can you hear me?

 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Yep, can hear you.

 

Q    Hey, thanks very much.  Good evening.  I want to ask you about the communiqué on Sunday.  And can you give us a sense of how the language on China is going to compare with the language in the G7 communiqué last year?  How much tougher will it be?

 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So I don’t want to get out ahead of the language in the communiqué, which is still being worked on and worked through.  But I do think what you will see is, again, a historic degree of unity across the G7 across a range of issues, but importantly on the People’s Republic of China as well.

 

And I think that the types of — the types of principles that you’ve heard from a number of G7 leaders in recent months — the idea that we’re for de-risking, not decoupling; the idea that we have an important need to invest in our own economic vitality, as well as the security and resilience of our supply chains; that we have concerns around the PRC’s non-market policies and practices, their efforts at economic coercion; that we want to protect a narrow category of sensitive technology that can lead to military modernization — I think those types of topics you will ultimately see reflected in the communiqué and, again, underscore the historic degree of alignment the G7 as a whole brings to its approach on China, I think, again, also reflecting the President’s strong leadership in this regard.

 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Thank you.  Next up we’ll go to the line of Zeke Miller.

 

Q    Thanks for doing this.  I was wondering if you can speak to tomorrow.  In particular, will President Zelenskyy be having any direct participation in the meeting?  What will that look like?  Will that be virtual with all the leaders or something separate?

 

And then secondly, since we’re embargoed here until the morning anyway, is there any way you can give some more details on some of these new sanctioned entities and these export controls, just so we can flesh out our stories for the morning?  Thanks.

 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Sure.  I mean, I want to be, on the second question, you know, careful there to not get ahead of the specific announcements.

You know, I think what I would do is just, you know, kind of reiterate what I said in the topper, which is, you know, this is going to be a significant effort that will extensively restrict Russia’s access to goods that matter for its battlefield capabilities.  It will cut off roughly 70 entities from Russia and third countries from receiving U.S. exports by adding them to the Commerce blacklist.  And there will be upwards of 300 new sanctions against individuals, entities, vessels, and aircraft.

 

I think, you know, beyond that — you know, I think I would just sort of also highlight the principles that the Ukraine standalone statement will lift up, you know, not just around diminishing Russia’s ability to wage war through its access to key industrial and military inputs but also closing off evasion loopholes, continuing to squeeze both the financial sector as well as the capacity of Russia to produce energy out over the medium to long term, and, importantly, keeping its sovereign assets immobilized as well.

 

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Next up we’ll go over to Kevin Liptak.

 

Q    Yes, thank you.  Wondering how much you expect the President — President Biden’s counterparts to raise the debt ceiling issue in their meetings tomorrow.  Do you expect it to come up at all?  And if it does, can the President — what will his message be if these leaders express some concern about a potential default?  Thank you.

 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  Sure.  I mean, I think that — I think that, you know, the President I think will convey what he has been conveying for some significant time, which is, you know, the G7 is a moment when the United States comes together with its key allies and partners to help shape an agenda to make a difference in the world — make a difference for our own economic vitality, the prosperity of our citizens, to address emerging challenges in the world, to address ongoing conflicts like what we see in Ukraine.

 

And our ability to do that as a G7 is, of course, you know, kind of undergirded by, you know, ongoing leadership from the United States.

 

And, of course, you know, to the extent that debt ceiling brinkmanship that Republicans are driving in Washington, D.C., undermines American leadership, undermines the trustworthiness that America can bring to not just our allies and partners but to the rest of the world, undermines the ongoing centrality of the U.S. financial system in the global economy by calling into question the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury — all of those things reduce America’s capacity to lead; reduce our ability to do things like deliver tough sanctions of the kind that we will deliver tomorrow, which are predicated on that ongoing centrality of the U.S. financial system; and will, as a result, undermine the capacity of the G7 to really continue shaping the world and delivering for its own citizens but also citizens of the world more broadly.

 

So, I do think that it will be an opportunity to highlight just how central it is that Republicans work to get this done expeditiously with the President, because a lot is — a lot is riding on ensuring that the United States continues to lead and lead alongside the G7.

 

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  And our last question will go to Annie Linskey.  You should be able to unmute yourself.

 

Q    Thank you so much.  I just — I wanted to follow up, honestly, on Zeke Miller’s question from earlier about whether or not — what the participation level will be for President Zelenskyy.

 

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL:  So, you know, President Zelenskyy has always participated in sort of prior — prior G7 leaders’ engagements on Ukraine.  We would expect that in one way, shape, or form, you know, over the summit, that we’ll have a chance for leaders to engage with President Zelenskyy, just as has been true in every occasion that G7 leaders have gotten together since the start of the war 15 months ago.

 

MODERATOR:  Thanks, everyone.  That’s all the time we have.  I appreciate you joining.  As a reminder, the call is embargoed until 5:00 a.m. Japan time on May 19th and 4:00 p.m. Eastern, May 18th, in the U.S.  Thanks again, everyone.  Have a good night.

 

8:12 A.M. EDT

 

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MAY 18, 2023

Readout of President Biden’s Meeting with Prime Minister Kishida of Japan

HOME

BRIEFING ROOM

STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan in Hiroshima today to advance cooperation on a range of security, economic, and regional issues.  He underscored that the U.S.-Japan Alliance is the cornerstone of regional peace and prosperity, and reaffirmed the U.S. extended deterrence commitment using the full range of U.S. capabilities.  Both leaders discussed ways to further strengthen defense cooperation, building on Japan’s revised strategy documents and increased defense investments.

 

They also addressed efforts to bolster economic cooperation, including through negotiations on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), the promotion of clean and secure energy, and the establishment of diverse and resilient critical minerals supply chains.  The leaders highlighted their deepening cooperation on emerging technology, including the finalization of a memorandum of cooperation on education and technology and the launching of new partnerships between U.S. and Japanese companies and universities, including the University of Chicago and Purdue University, in areas like quantum computing and semiconductors.  The President thanked the Prime Minister for Japan’s commitment to increase investment in these areas.  

 

Both leaders affirmed their resolve to continue supporting Ukraine as it defends itself from Russia’s brutal and unlawful invasion, and committed to work closely together to address regional security challenges, including the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) nuclear and ballistic missile programs and coercive behavior by the People’s Republic of China that runs counter to international law. The President reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the immediate resolution of the abductions issue.  The two leaders underscored their opposition to any attempts to change the status quo by force, and reiterated their resolve to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. They also reaffirmed their support for ASEAN centrality, and emphasized the importance of increasing multilateral cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly with the Republic of Korea (ROK), the Quad nations including Australia and India, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands.  The President commended Prime Minister Kishida on his courageous efforts to improve bilateral ties with the ROK, which will contribute to greater regional stability and prosperity.

 

The two leaders committed to continue deepening the bilateral relationship to advance their shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.  The President said he looked forward to a productive G7 Summit under Japan’s leadership.

 

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MAY 18, 2023

Remarks by President Biden and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan Before Bilateral Meeting

 

SPEECHES AND REMARKS

RIHGA Royal Hotel Hiroshima

Hiroshima, Japan

 

6:02 P.M. JST

 

PRIME MINISTER KISHIDA: (As interpreted.)  Joe, the last time we met in person was in January upon my visit to the U.S.  And it is indeed a great pleasure to see you again in person and especially to welcome you, Joe, here in my hometown.

 

The Japan-U.S. alliance is the very foundation of peace and security in the Indo-Pacific.  Japan and the United States have a strong relationship not only in the area of security, we have close and strong cooperation in all areas.  We very much welcome that the cooperation has evolved by leaps and bounds.

 

Here in Hiroshima, the U.S. company Micron is engaged in leading semiconductor research, development, and manufacturing.  And this is a great case of Japan-U.S. semiconductor cooperation, and Japanese government will continue to support Micron’s efforts.

 

And based upon our vision to develop an ecosystem for innovation and startups in deep tech as we plan to create a global startup campus in central Tokyo, joint study with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — the MIT, one of the leading universities of the United States — has commenced.  By gaining cooperation from the United States, we will materialize such vision.

 

Today, Joe and I will go over what we intend to discuss at the G7 Hiroshima Summit and engage in last-minute coordination.  And at the summit, I am confident that the G7 will demonstrate our unwavering will to uphold free and open international order based on the rule of law — a concept that we both share.

 

PRESIDENT BIDEN:  Well, Mr. President [Prime Minister], it’s wonderful to see you again and here in your own hometown.  The — and thank you for hosting the G7 Summit here.

 

Under Japan’s leadership, we’ve already delivered progress on the G7 agenda this year.  And I’m looking forward to our meetings in the days ahead.

 

As you said back in January when you were at the White House, I think the quote is: We face the most — one of the most complex environments in recent history — security environments.  And I couldn’t agree with you more.

 

But I’m proud that the United States and Japan are facing it together.  And, you know, we stand up for the shared values, including supporting the brave people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereign territory and holding Russia accountable for its brutal aggression.

 

And we’re tracking the global challenges — from strengthening our community and our commitment to nuclear nonproliferation, to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific.  That’s at the heart of all this.

 

And, you know, we’re — it seems to me we’re — we’re deepening our cooperation on emerging technologies, including — including new partnerships between the United States and Japanese companies and, as you mentioned, universities as well in area- — in areas like quantum computing and semiconductors.  And I want to thank you for Japan’s commitment to increase investment in these areas.

 

The bottom line, Mr. Prime Minister, is that when our countries stand together, we stand stronger.  And I believe the whole world is safer when we do.

 

So, thank you again for having me here today.  And we look forward to the next several days.

 

6:06 P.M. JSTP

 

Sources: White House, G7 2023 Hiroshima, Youtube, The Independent, AP, AFP, VA, WION, ANI NEWS, Global News, Fox News, MBC, Wikipedia Skynews, DW, Firstpost,CNN News18,ABC,YAHOO, GOOGLE :
catch4all.com, Sandra Englund May 20th, 2023 Rev. May 25th, 2023