G7 Summit 2021: PM Modi will be attending

The theme for G7 Summit is 'Build Back Better' and it has been chosen by UK. India's Prime Minister Narendra Singh Modi has been invited to attend the summit's session virtually. 

Purpose of the meeting

According to a statement by the Boris Johnson government ahead of the meet, the UK will donate at least 100 million surplus coronavirus vaccine doses within the next year, including 5 million beginning in the coming weeks. More significantly, the statement said that the "G7 leaders are expected to agree to provide 1 billion doses via dose sharing and financing to end the pandemic in 2022".

“At this stage of pandemic, it is pertinent to also discuss India’s concern over the idea of a vaccine passport, given the lower levels of vaccination of population in the developing countries in contrast to the developed, and given the unaddressed issues of equitable and affordable access, distribution and supply of safe and effective vaccines,” Union Health Minister Dr. HarshVardhan had said in a virtual address.

Leaders who will be attending

Leaders that will be present in the meeting are:

US president Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Canadian premier Justin Trudeau. Italy prime minister Mario Draghi, Japan's Yoshihide Suga and host country's Prime Minister Boris Johnson round out the seven leaders of the core members. The European Union (EU) will be represented by Ursula von der Leyen, resident of the European Commission.

Among the non-member countries invited to this year's meet are India, South Korea and Australia. India had been invited to last year's aborted meet by the then US President Donald Trump while in 2019, host Prime Minister Modi had attended sessions during the summit hosted by France. This time, the Indian prime minister will be virtually attending outreach sessions at the summit on 12 and 13 June, the external affairs ministry has said.

Agenda of the meeting

1. Leading the global recovery from coronavirus while strengthening resilience against future pandemics;

2. Promoting future prosperity by championing free and fair trade;

3. Tackling climate change and preserving the planet’s biodiversity; 

4. Championing shared values.