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Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Times of Multiple Crises:
G7 Development Ministers’ Meeting Communiqué
Final Version, Berlin, May 19, 2022
[pdf]
We, the G7 Development Ministers, met on 18-19 May in Berlin, to address the multiple crises endangering safety, well-being and prosperity across the world: An increasing number of people are threatened by the impacts of conflict, climate change, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, economic decline and poverty, discrimination, food insecurity and malnutrition, lack of access to quality health services, energy insecurity, gender inequalities and gender-based violence, the COVID-19 pandemic and the global education crisis.
We recognize the particular strain these simultaneously occurring setbacks have put on the world, in particular on developing countries and groups in vulnerable situations. We will continue to address humanitarian needs across the globe. We remain committed to the rules-based multilateral system and to protecting open, inclusive international cooperation that leaves no one behind.
Our commitment to the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement remains strong. We reaffirm the respective official development assistance (ODA) commitments, such as the 0.7% ODA/GNI target, as well as our commitment to reverse the declining trend in ODA to the least developed countries (LDCs) and to better target ODA where needs are the greatest.
Reiterating the G7 Development Ministers’ Statement on Ukraine, we condemn the Russian Federation’s unjustifiable, unprovoked and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and its people. We are deeply concerned about the far-reaching economic, health, social, food security, human rights and political consequences of Russia’s war of aggression both regionally and globally.
We stand in solidarity with Ukraine and support neighbouring countries adversely affected by Russia’s brutal war of aggression. We have reacted swiftly with bilateral and multilateral measures to support Ukraine and neighbouring countries, as well as through our role as members of Multilateral Development Banks.
We are particularly concerned about the global impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine on the rise in hunger and malnutrition, poverty and other inequalities within and beyond the region. The consequences will further worsen global food insecurity and humanitarian crises around the globe.
The war has also led to a dramatic increase in violence against women and girls in all their diversity, as well as other vulnerable groups including men and boys, older adults, people with disabilities, and LGBTIQ+ individuals, and has exacerbated humanitarian protection needs in the region. Women and children face significant risks of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including conflict-related sexual violence, child, early and forced marriage and sexual exploitation and abuse. We all commit to leading the wider response community in keeping SGBV prevention and response activities at the forefront of all humanitarian interventions.
8. We are committed by the statements of our Leaders on 3 March, 24 March and
7 April, and 8 May. We fully support the statements made by the G7 Agricultural Ministers on 11 March and 14 May, and by the G7 Foreign Ministers on 14 May, and are deeply concerned about rising global food insecurity and the growing number of people suffering from hunger and all forms of malnutrition, in particular women, girls and boys, and populations in vulnerable situations, as Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has exacerbated an already alarming situation, with severe impacts on global agricultural markets having been caused by the pandemic, climate change and its consequences, biodiversity loss, economic hardship and armed conflict.
We note with grave concern the food price inflation affecting many countries and confirm that we will jointly and actively contribute to mitigating as much as possible the inflation itself and its consequences, in particular concerning access to food and agricultural products and inputs, particularly fertilizers, resulting in potential supply disruptions that affect future agricultural production and productivity. To reduce dependencies and strengthen long-term resilience, we support increasing local sustainable production and refraining from unjustified measures that restrict export. We call on all countries to keep their food and agricultural markets open and to guard against any unjustified restrictive measures regarding their agricultural exports. We recall that the implementation of our sanctions against Russia is carefully designed so as to minimize any direct impacts on global agricultural and food trade.
We welcome the establishment of the UN Global Crisis Response Group by the UN Secretary-General and support the launch of the Global Alliance for Food Security aimed at addressing, also through other efforts, the impacts of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. We commit to working together with like-minded stakeholders, including interested governments beyond G7, relevant and mandated international organisations as well as foundations, philanthropists, civil society, the private sector, and scientific and research institutions. We will closely cooperate with all partners with the aim of transforming political commitments into concrete actions as planned by various international initiatives such as the Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission (FARM) and key regional outreach initiatives, including towards Africa during this G7 Development Ministers meeting, and towards the Mediterranean region with the upcoming Mediterranean Ministerial Dialogue on the Food Security Crisis as organized by Italy. We welcome the May 18 Global Food Security Call to Action Ministerial. We will continue to support the crucial work that the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) are doing to enhance the resilience of agriculture and food systems. We welcome the „Commitments on the Global Food Security Consequences of Russia’s War of Aggression against Ukraine” agreed upon by the G7 Foreign Ministers.
As we respond to the evolving global situation with regard to agriculture commodities, food security and nutrition, we must also ensure that our actions help to strengthen, and not undermine, the long-term resilience and sustainability of agriculture and food systems as the basis for supporting global and regional food and nutrition security, particularly for partner countries. We will strive for those approaches of food supply productivity that do not drive unsustainable land-use change and deforestation, and do not undermine climate action.
We stand by the G7 2015 Elmau goal to lift 500 million people out of hunger and malnutrition by 2030. Based on the sound scientific identification of financing needs and the most efficient interventions and approaches to achieve this goal in a sustainable manner, we commit to using our ODA to support the sustainable transformation of agriculture and food systems in developing countries and to increase support to smallholder farmers. We remain fully committed to keeping a strong focus on the sustainable and inclusive transformation of global agriculture and food systems, including through agroecology and other innovative approaches.
In order to achieve a transformation towards sustainable agriculture and food systems, we need to go beyond the 2015 Elmau agenda. Science and evidence are key to supporting the transformation of agricultural and trade policies, and we encourage the sharing of knowledge and evidence-based best practices. We recognize the importance of preserving and conserving biodiversity and ecosystems, and we will explore the value of establishing a knowledge network for the transformation of agricultural policies in close alignment with existing initiatives, and call for a focus on food systems at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh in November. As highlighted in our contributions at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP15 in Abidjan, sustainable agriculture is crucial for the fight against land degradation and food insecurity, which we will also demonstrate in our contributions to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP15 We will continue to work towards sustainable supply chains that decouple agriculture production from deforestation and forest degradation. We will explore and build on existing initiatives for how smallholder farmers in developing countries can be compensated for the support they provide to ecosystem services, and agriculture and food security. Women, youth and marginalized groups must be included in decision-making, policy formulation and implementation processes.
We welcome the commitments made at the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth Summit 2021, recall the G20 Matera Declaration on Food Security, Nutrition and Food Systems, and support the UN Secretary-General’s statement of action at the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, which advocates ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition, and building sustainable, resilient and inclusive food systems and an enabling environment. We take note of the National, Independent and Global Dialogues and Coalitions of Action, recognizing that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. In concert with the G7 Agriculture Ministers, we are convinced that the transformation of food systems to become sustainable, domestically and internationally, is fundamental to achieving global food security and nutrition.
We encourage all partners to support or join the Zero Hunger Coalition and engage all relevant stakeholders, including partner governments, women’s organisations, civil society, international organisations, academia and the private sector. We welcome the commitments already made within the Private Sector Pledge, and we remain committed to working with private sector actors, civil society and local actors for sustainable agriculture and food supply chains. We welcome progress made within the Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI).
As countries on the African continent are particularly affected by the impacts of multiple crises, including food insecurity, we commit to continue our support to our African partners in order to address the complex origins of food insecurity as well as identifying lasting solutions in the transformation towards more sustainable agriculture and food systems. We have reached out to our African partners in order to discuss these issues. Detailed results of the discussion are summarized in the annexed G7 Chair Summary.
We are committed to supporting the Afghan agricultural sector in overcoming the food crisis in Afghanistan with due regard to the clear international expectations reflected in paragraph 25, which are currently not being met, and taking into account the needs of the most vulnerable, especially women and girls. Our support to the financial and private sectors will depend on the Taliban’s willingness to meet minimum enabling requirements for the economic recovery of Afghanistan.
Addressing multiple gender inequalities is important, as the active engagement of women and girls is a cornerstone for achieving this transformation, given the critical role of women and girls in all their diversity in building sustainable and equitable agriculture and food systems, and noting that women perform between 40 and 60 percent of the world’s agricultural labour, while still being unable to hold land rights in many countries.
To ensure societies’ resilience in the face of multiple crises we have to create better opportunities for all. We need to ensure equal political, economic and social participation and empowerment of all individuals, irrespective of their sex characteristics, gender identity or sexual orientation. In the spirit of a feminist development policy our external actions should increasingly target equity and equality of all genders and sexual identities so as to overcome the gender-unequal burden of paid and unpaid care work and the exclusion of LGBTIQ+ persons; and to end harmful gender norms notably in and through education and the protection of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and by addressing the particular needs of girls, adolescent girls and women in conflict, crisis and displacement.
Now is the moment to join all forces to leverage resources for gender equality and women’s empowerment. We commit to make every effort to collectively increase the share of the G7’s bilateral allocable ODA advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment over the coming years. We will track our performance using the OECD DAC Gender Equality Policy Marker. We aim to enhance the gender equality impact of our aid activities by increasingly implementing gender transformative approaches. We welcome and support the new guidance “Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls: A Guidance for Development Partners”, published on May 6, 2022 under the authority of the Secretary General of the OECD this month, as a valuable tool to enhance the gender equal impact of our aid activities. Furthermore, we will strengthen our efforts to mobilize additional private resources for gender equity and equality and women’s empowerment. Welcoming the ambition and success of the 2X Challenge, we recognize and emphasize the importance of gender-lens investing to SDG financing. We call upon both the public and the private sector to support the newly established 2X Collaborative in the development of an independent and universal certification mechanism to increase the impact and transparency of gender-lens investing and encourage investors and investees to get certified.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated the unequal and gendered distribution and the general undervaluing of paid and unpaid care work. Women and girls in all their diversity carry out a disproportionate share of paid and unpaid care work. We are concerned that this constitutes an obstacle to sustainable development, gender equality as well as economic empowerment of all women and girls. We 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 as detailed in the ILO’s Framework for Decent Care Work. Therefore, we will develop and share best practices for addressing care work and will strengthen the care economy in partner countries, including through the Global Alliance for Care as members or associated partners.
LGBTIQ+ persons are strongly affected by sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), persecution, social exclusion, poverty and discrimination. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated these challenges for LGBTIQ+ persons. As the G7, we commit to taking an active role in tackling all these multiple and intersecting forms of violence and discrimination against LGBTIQ+ persons. We agree to a sustained focus on equality of all genders, diversity of sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and sex characteristics in our development cooperation. We aim to increase work with LGBTIQ+ civil society and human rights defenders. We commit to supporting the implementation of the UN LGBTI Inclusion Index as a central tool to create disaggregated data and to improve the development outcomes of LGBTIQ+ persons. We also acknowledge the important role of the UN Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity.
We are deeply concerned about the disruptive impact of COVID-19 on education worldwide, particularly for the most marginalized learners. Advancing gender equality in and through education, with a specific focus on girls’ education, is crucial for peaceful and just societies. We therefore stand steadfast in our commitment to girls’ education made in previous years. We will contribute to more resilient, inclusive, gender transformative education systems by ending structural barriers and harmful gender norms, stereotypes, roles and practices, which remain a pervasive threat to global achievements in gender equality, health, and empowerment of women and girls in all their diversity and their rights to quality education. This will help reduce sexual and gender-based violence, female genital mutilation, child, early and forced marriage or teenage pregnancy. The Global Partnership for Education, Education Cannot Wait, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative, the Gender at the Centre Initiative, and civil society and bilateral partners are key actors in this endeavour.
The alarming occurrences in Ukraine and many other fragile contexts demonstrate once again that conflicts, violence and humanitarian crises and their consequences are not gender neutral: women and children, especially girls, and those marginalized based on their sexual orientation or gender identity in conflict, crisis and displacement are particularly vulnerable to exacerbated forms of sexual and gender-based violence, and exposed to a heightened risk of sexual exploitation and abuse as well as human trafficking. At the same time they are severely underrepresented in most meaningful decision-making roles in peace and political processes. The safety of women peacebuilders, frontline humanitarian responders and human rights defenders worldwide is under growing threat. We acknowledge the specific needs, challenges and potentials of women in conflict and displacement as agents of change. In close alignment with the Women Peace and Security Agenda, we commit to intensifying our efforts to secure their full, equal, effective and meaningful participation in social, economic and political decision-making as well as conflict resolution and peacebuilding processes, including by supporting the Action Network on Forced Displacement and its aims. We further commit to supporting projects that promote the full, equal, effective and meaningful participation of women in contexts of displacement, conflict and migration, politically or financially, for example via the Funding Window on Forced Displacement of the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) in support of civil society organisations in countries affected by conflict and displacement or via becoming a partner of the Action Network.
We particularly deplore the dire humanitarian, social, political, economic and human rights situation the Afghan people are facing. We are resolved to continue our support, together with like-minded donors, to the Afghan people while not legitimizing the Taliban regime. The G7 will continue to work closely with the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the UN to address basic human needs and to maintain the social infrastructure in Afghanistan. This support is based on the clear respect of common norms and principles: respect for human rights and the equal treatment and full participation in all spheres of public life of women, children, especially girls, minorities and other vulnerable groups, as well as the prevention of aid diversion and the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan in order to prevent any terrorist groups or individuals from using Afghan soil to attack another country. We call on the Taliban to recognize, respect and promote the rights of Afghan women and girls, given that they are crucial for the long-term stability and development of Afghanistan. Without ensuring equal access for women and girls in all their diversity as well as other marginalized communities to basic services, education and the labour market, the crisis in Afghanistan cannot be overcome.
The unprecedented scale and interdependence of climate change, water insecurity, land degradation, biodiversity loss and global pollution poses an existential threat and puts the success of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement at risk. We recognize that overcoming these interdependent challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss needs to be addressed by all states and collectively.
We strongly commit to enhance our individual and collective efforts to implement the Paris Agreement and outcomes thereunder, including the Glasgow Climate Pact, to keep the limit of 1.5°C temperature rise within reach and to achieve our aim of net zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible and by 2050 at the latest. In light of the findings of the IPCC’s AR6 WG III report, we acknowledge the need to develop clean energy, as well as fast action to dramatically reduce global methane emissions.. Our actions will include adopting and swiftly implementing an ambitious and effective post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Responsible production, sourcing and sustainable consumption patterns of raw materials for renewable energies and other sectors like food, industry or mining are crucial in order to allow for a globally just transition. We need to ensure that the transition to net zero emissions and climate-resilient and nature-positive societies comes into effect in an inclusive, gender equal and socially just manner with full, equal, effective and meaningful participation by partners and stakeholders of affected societal groups and Indigenous Peoples. In keeping with the UNFCCC enhanced Lima Work Programme on Gender and its Gender Action Plan as well as the Gender Plan of Action under the anticipated Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, the G7 recognizes the importance of gender mainstreaming throughout targets and goals. Building on the G7 2030 Nature Compact, we will ensure our international development assistance does no harm to nature, by 2025, and delivers positive outcomes overall for people, climate and nature.
We recognize the need for global action and the role of the G7 working together with all countries, especially the major emitters, to reach our climate and biodiversity related objectives above. We also recognize that leaders decided to explore establishing an open, cooperative international Climate Club, consistent with international rules, and with participation beyond the G7. We are committed to achieving a true paradigm shift, by demonstrating that ambitious climate action is conducive to strong and sustainable growth for all economies. We commit to support developing countries and emerging markets in their endeavour to transition on net-zero pathways, in line with keeping 1.5°C within reach and the goals of the Paris Agreement
Concrete action and increased cooperation by the G7 in strong alliances with emerging economies and developing countries are pivotal. This is particularly true for the energy sector as the largest source of global greenhouse gas emissions. In this context, we are working with other Ministers to make progress on concrete policies to effectively reduce emissions and pursue a transformational agenda for our economies. Carrying out our Leaders’ task, we will strengthen and further develop Just Energy Transition Partnerships as well as our outreach towards emerging markets and developing countries. We will strengthen international support to and engagement with partners beyond the G7 through ambitious, tailor made partnerships and look forward to working together for this goal with the Ministers responsible for climate, energy, environment, and finance. We also commit to build on and advance existing partnerships to accelerate a clean and just transition towards climate neutrality based on partners’ ownership. This includes energy policy reform that delivers socio-economic benefits and development opportunities in line with the 2030 Agenda. We will use synergies with the G7 Partnership for Infrastructure and Investment.
We strongly call on MDBs, DFIs and multilateral funds to further strengthen their efforts to support ambitious climate and biodiversity action, including by setting corresponding adaptation finance targets, and by supporting countries in reforming fiscal, regulatory and macroeconomic policies to sustain a green transition. We recognize the role of green taxes as a relevant source for domestic revenue mobilization. We expect MDBs to systematically provide climate-related development policy operations in line with each country’s Paris-aligned transition path, with the World Bank Group taking a leading role, and will support this. We call on multilateral financing institutions, climate and environment funds, philanthropies and the private sector to mobilize substantial finance towards a climate neutral, climate-resilient and nature-positive economy, including to facilitate just energy transitions. We welcome the MDB Joint Statement on Nature, People and Planet. We call on the MDBs to commit to clear and time-bound actions for implementing the Statement. They need to ensure alignment of their portfolios with the Paris Agreement and the anticipated post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. We will continue to advance our efforts to make financial flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development, in line with Article 2.1c of the Paris Agreement.
We emphasize the importance of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and long-term low-emission development strategies (LTSs) for reaching the goals of the Paris Agreement. We urge all countries – especially major emitters – whose 2030 targets are not yet aligned with the Paris Agreement temperature goal to revisit and strengthen their NDCs by COP27 in line with their commitments. We call on those countries that have not yet submitted LTSs towards just transitions to net zero emissions to do so prior to COP27, with the goal of reaching this target by or around mid-century. We commit to enhance our support for developing countries in updating and implementing their NDCs and LTSs in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement and the development goals of the 2030 Agenda. We welcome the facilitative work of the NDC Partnership in this regard. We call on all countries to translate their respective NDCs into concrete policies, programmes, public budgets and investment plans. We acknowledge the important role of cities and local governments in championing a just climate and energy transition, as they are pivotal in accelerating the transition and making it socially compatible according to local needs.
We support the Glasgow-Sharm el-Sheikh work programme on the global goal on adaptation and are committed to engaging in it by strengthening the implementation of adaptation actions and the management of disaster risk reduction (DRR) to enhance the resilience of people, ecosystems and natural resources to climate hazards and changes. We recognize that action and support for vulnerable countries need to be further scaled up, and that it is important to enhance private sector engagement in climate adaptation and DRR in addition to public support.
In light of the findings of the IPCC’s AR6 WG II report, current efforts in the context of climate change mitigation and adaptation must be strengthened and enhanced so as to avoid risks from climate change impacts and reduce the potential for economic and non-economic losses and damages. We recognize the urgent need for scaling-up action and support, as appropriate, including finance, technology and capacity-building, for the implementation of relevant approaches to averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. We strongly support the Santiago Network as well as the Glasgow Dialogue.
We recognize the urgent need to ensure the protection of people and countries vulnerable to climate change and disaster risks. Global efforts to scale up climate and disaster risk finance and insurance (CDRFI), including under the InsuResilience Global Partnership (IGP) and other CDRFI mechanisms and instruments like regional risk pools, have already led to an increase in financial protection in recent years. We are committed to working with partners outside the G7 to further strengthen the global CDRFI architecture so it becomes more systematic, coherent and sustained, and will work towards a Global Shield against Climate Risks. We will strengthen existing frameworks and mechanisms, including those that reflect specific features of each region, with the private sector fully on board. We will work with the IGP to build a strong coordination mechanism for CDRFI and call upon the InsuResilience Solutions Fund and the WB Global Risk Financing Facility to contribute by identifying and covering protection gaps and supporting a wide range of partners. We endorse the SMART Premium and Capital Support Principles and commit to develop them further and to translate them into practice in our CDRFI support, and we call on other donors and the private sector to do the same. We commit to link any CDRFI efforts with efforts to expand adaptive social protection.
Recognizing the growing needs in adaptation and resilience, we will continue to increase climate finance to support adaptation and resilience in developing countries. We reiterate the call from the Glasgow Climate Pact to at least double the collective provision of climate finance for adaptation to developing countries from 2019 levels by 2025, in the context of achieving a balance between mitigation and adaptation in the provision of scaled-up financial resources, recalling Article 9, paragraph 4, of the Paris Agreement. We will work together, including all stakeholders, to continue to enhance our efforts in this regard
We look forward to the joint statement by the G7 ministers responsible for climate, energy and environment. We reaffirm the 2030 Nature Compact to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. We support a transformative Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework with ambitious goals and targets, strengthened implementation, and enhanced regular reporting and review. We encourage further commitments beyond the G7 ahead of the second part of the CBD COP 15. We are committed to mobilizing resources, from all sources, to substantially increase our funding in support of biodiversity finance by 2025, including increased funding for Nature-based Solutions with strong environmental and social safeguards, and ensure our economic and financial decision-making is aligned with sustainability objectives. We are committed to mobilizing resources, from all sources, to substantially increase our funding in support of biodiversity finance by 2025, including increased funding for Nature-based Solutions with strong environmental and social safeguards, and ensure our economic and financial decision-making is aligned with sustainability objectives. We call on the MDBs to deliver on their Glasgow Joint statement on “Nature, People and Planet” and report their biodiversity finance by CBD COP15. We support developing countries in building capacity for the mobilization of domestic resources for biodiversity. We also emphasize the importance of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) aligned with the anticipated post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. We commit to supporting emerging economies and developing countries in updating and implementing their NBSAPs. We recognize the importance of healthy global oceans and resilient marine ecosystems, support the work on the G7 Ocean Deal and emphasize the urgent need for enhanced global ocean governance, scientific cooperation and bold ocean action within the G7 and beyond.
The G7 are committed to mainstreaming, enhancing and scaling up the implementation of Nature-based Solutions, harnessing their multiple benefits for people, agriculture, nature and climate, including job and business opportunities. We welcome the adoption of a resolution on NbS for supporting sustainable development at UNEA 5.2. We emphasise that NbS respect social and environmental safeguards as highlighted by the UNEA 5.2 resolution, allowing NbS to deliver their full potential effectively, equitably and sustainably. We commit to the implementation of the COP26 Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forest and Land Use, working collectively to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030.
The G7 recognize the role of Indigenous Peoples as well as local communities in addressing the interdependent challenges of biodiversity loss, global health and climate change. We therefore advocate for a prominent role for Indigenous Peoples as well as local communities, respect for the Free, Prior and Informed Consent of Indigenous Peoples, and for human rights in the CBD Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and support the implementation of relevant international instruments.
We need to prepare better for an ambitious trajectory towards a greener and more resilient future. To achieve a global green economy, the required transition must be socially just: it must promote inclusive green employment opportunities and progress towards adaptive social protection, counteract poverty, reduce inequalities and increase social acceptance of ecological structural changes.
We recognize the pivotal role of the private sector in creating decent green jobs, and the critical role of social economy organisations, our inclusive approach to employment and skill promotion (leaving no one behind), the G7 Principles on Women’s Entrepreneurship and the G7 target for life skills, and technical and vocational education and training for girls and women. Together, we are striving to create an enabling environment for the creation of decent green jobs in ecologically relevant sectors worldwide. By 2025, we will increase the share of our ODA employment and skills promotion programmes that is directed specifically towards green sectors and greening traditional sectors, in alignment with our emerging and developing partner countries’ strategies and subject to our budgetary processes. We further welcome the initiative of developing criteria for employment-oriented private sector and skills development that are contributing to a green economy as well as a harmonized, lean approach for the monitoring and evaluation of our respective programmes’ impacts by 2030. To realize this aim, we look forward to cooperating with G7 Employment Ministers, social partners, and key international organisations. Specifically, we ask ILO and OECD to support this process, taking into account existing definitions and frameworks in coordination with relevant stakeholders.
We need to accelerate progress towards universal, adequate, adaptive, shock-responsive and inclusive social protection for all by 2030, in order to address potential hardships caused by the transformation of ecologically unsustainable sectors, build resilience against climate shocks and help people adapt to climate change. Through robust national policies and measures, and scaled-up international cooperation, access to social protection could be extended to another 1 billion people by 2025 in developing countries on the pathway towards social protection for all in line with SDG 1.3. We will support developing countries, including by mobilizing funding subject to our budgetary processes, as they work to extend national social protection systems, especially in LICs in alignment with their country strategies. We call on MDBs and multilateral organisations to support this objective. We undertake to strengthen the connection between social protection, food security, and climate policy and financing, including within disaster risk financing mechanisms. Together with the Employment Ministers, we welcome the UN Secretary-General’s initiative for a “Global Accelerator for Jobs and Social Protection for a Just Transition” to create 400 million jobs and to extend social protection floors to the people currently not covered by any social protection system or measure by 2030, and support the process towards its establishment.
We are concerned about the increasing debt burdens in many developing countries that are impeding progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and crowding out investments in transitioning to greener, more resilient and more inclusive economies, highlighting the importance of fair and open lending practices. We aim to enhance creditor coordination for debt restructuring and to improve the implementation of our existing tools, also through relevant capacity development, and to promote a better understanding of the potential and limitations of Debt-for-Development Swaps and other nstruments that could enable achievement of the SDGs. To make debt work for development, and together with the Ministers of Finance, we will continue our efforts to successfully implementing the G20 and Paris Club Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative, so as to allow for timely, orderly and coordinated debt restructurings. It remains essential that all relevant creditor countries including non-Paris Club countries contribute to the necessary debt treatments as requested under the Common Framework. Together with the G7 Finance ministers, we re-emphasize our call for private sector involvement in all debt restructuring in line with the comparability of treatment principle. We ask the World Bank and the IMF to continue their work to provide policy guidance and technical support to debtor countries, and contribute analysis-based feasible proposals on how the participation of private creditors in future debt treatments could be improved and enhanced. We reaffirm the importance of joint efforts by both creditors and debtors to improve debt data transparency and accuracy.
In order to achieve a socio-ecological transformation, we will enhance our support to emerging economies and developing countries for the development of suitable policy environments for sustainable finance.
We recognize the harmful effects of illicit finance and corruption on the ability of developing countries to finance public services and reach the SDGs, especially in Africa, but also in the rest of the world. Therefore, we as the G7 will support African partners in setting up 15 additional beneficial ownership transparency registers, and reiterate the commitments made by Finance Ministers in June 2021 to provide additional expertise and funding support to the Financial Action Task Force-style regional bodies (FSRBs), including those in Africa, as well as capacity development for the FSRBs in Africa.
Together with the Labour and Employment Ministers, Agriculture Ministers, Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers and Trade Ministers, we commit to strengthen the implementation of internationally accepted environmental, labour and social standards in global supply chains. We commit to continue to improve policy coherence to fully implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy. We support a smart mix of measures – national and international, mandatory and voluntary – to foster business respect for human rights, taking into account national needs and circumstances. We recognize the potential merits of discussing an internationally legally binding instrument to foster a level playing field. We will continue to work on strengthening and coordinating supporting measures for partner countries and local enterprises.
Building on our Leaders’ commitments in Carbis Bay and their Statements from 3 December 2021, and 24 February 2022, we reconfirm our resolve to further shape and implement the G7 Partnership for Infrastructure and Investment (G7 PII) in joint cooperation with other relevant ministers and partners so as to narrow the infrastructure investment gap in emerging markets and developing countries, including by facilitating increased private sector investment, and to deliver climate-resilient, inclusive, gender-sensitive, digital and sustainable infrastructure. Sustainable finance and quality infrastructure are fundamental to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and the SDGs, ensuring a green recovery and strengthening the resilience of economies. Furthermore, we recognize the tremendous destruction of basic infrastructure and cities in Ukraine inflicted by Russia’s unlawful aggression and stand ready, whenever the situation allows, to accompany international efforts to rebuild and rehabilitate the country’s devastated infrastructure and thereby support a country-led reconstruction of a free and democratic Ukraine.
As decided in 2021, we will implement the G7 PII through country-led Partnerships for Infrastructure and Investment, based on individual countries’ sustainable infrastructure priorities and needs, in particular in Africa and the Indo-Pacific region. Just energy transition partnerships (JETPs) are one G7 PII approach to country partnerships that the G7 is already starting to deliver. We aim to begin identifying further Country-led Partnerships by the end of 2022, open to all areas of infrastructure, including health and climate-related infrastructure. In health, we envisage strengthening infrastructure for local vaccine, pharmaceutical and other essential medical production, as well as health sector surveillance, digitalization and logistics. We will closely align with existing initiatives, including the EU Global Gateway, US global infrastructure investments, the Japanese Partnership for Quality Infrastructure, and the British international investment initiative.
A race to the top for standards on quality and sustainable infrastructure investment, including through calling on all actors to adhere to internationally recognized rules and standards, is at the core of our ambition for the PII. We commit to expand work to implement the G20 Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment (QII) and work closely with G20 partners on finalizing and implementing the QII Indicators. We aim to build on the G7 Ise-Shima Principles for Promoting Quality Infrastructure Investment, and the G20 Operational Guidelines for Sustainable Finance. We welcome efforts by MDBs and other international initiatives to align their approaches.
We acknowledge the persisting gap in implementing existing principles, standards and guidelines and will support partner countries in ensuring the application of high sustainability standards in project preparation and investment decisions.
We emphasize the importance of transparency and good governance, and environmental and climate as well as financial sustainability, including public debt sustainability and full life-cycle costs considerations. We stress the importance of inclusiveness in access to infrastructure and of full, equal, effective and meaningful participation by marginalized groups, including women, through a gender mainstreaming approach, in all phases of the infrastructure lifecycle.
We acknowledge the importance of the upstream stages of infrastructure development. We reinvigorate our focus on enabling legal and regulatory environments, including fair labour standards, the rule of law and anti-corruption. We underline the importance of well-prepared and bankable infrastructure projects while addressing the persisting gap in linking such projects to public and private finance. We stress the crucial role of existing G7 and multilateral support such as capacity development and policy-based financing in fostering the implementation of policy reforms. We envisage an even stronger role by existing successful institutions and initiatives such as the International Finance Corporation, Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility, Global Infrastructure Facility, City Climate Finance Gap Fund, C40 Cities Finance Facility, G7 CONNEX Initiative, SOURCE Platform, Infrastructure Transparency Initiative (CoST), Compact with Africa, African Union initiatives including the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa (AUDA-NEPAD and PIDA II), and Integrated National Financing Frameworks.
While fully acknowledging the crucial role of public investment at all levels of government, substantial additional private investment needs to be mobilized in low- and middle-income countries. We therefore commit to promote the use of blending instruments, including structured public-private infrastructure investment funds, capital market development, guarantees, insurance or grant schemes. We will work on regulatory measures and frameworks to incentivize the use of effective blending instruments and to catalyze private investments. We welcome the joint action proposal on mobilizing private capital for quality and sustainable infrastructure investment from the Multilateral Development Banks and other Development Finance Institutions (ad hoc MDB/DFI expert group). We look forward to discussing the proposal which includes key priorities of the G7 PII, with a view to agreeing on further G7 action at the Summit.
The G7 recognize the importance of cities in developing and financing sustainable infrastructure as well as municipal, local and regional governments’ processes for the transformative shift, collaboration among them and the significant role of central governments in supporting their initiatives. The G7 express this by supporting effective multi-level governance, international knowledge sharing, and stronger financial and planning capacities at the local level.
We need to end the COVID-19 pandemic as a global threat – because the pandemic is not over until it is over for all. We have to be better prepared for future health crises by strengthening health systems, including for epidemic and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, and by accelerating progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Coordinated action and substantial acceleration is needed in order to ensure global-equitable access to safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics (VTD), and advance towards the WHO COVID-19 target of vaccinating at least 70% of the population in all countries while adapting to local contexts and needs, focusing on reaching the most vulnerable. We are determined to strengthen the equitable global distribution of VTD as well as roll-out capacity in developing countries. We reaffirm our support to all pillars of the ACT-Accelerator, including adequate contributions to enable ACT-A to help end the acute phase of the pandemic in 2022, as well as substantial contributions to vaccine support for COVAX AMC eligible economies. To date we have made 18.3 billion USD available to this endeavour.
We commit to supporting the delivery, particularly on the last mile, of vaccines and life-saving medical tools in developing countries in order to translate vaccines into vaccinations, through bilateral efforts in coordination with multilateral efforts by ACT-A and other partners and welcome the Foreign Ministers’ Declaration in this regard. This includes expanding, training and protecting human resources for health within local health systems to enable transition towards longer-term COVID-19 control.
Building sustainable, regionally diverse vaccine and essential medical product manufacturing capacity in developing countries, supported by the creation of sustainable markets, is a crucial step towards improving global access to vital medical products, overcoming equity gaps and preparing for future pandemics and epidemics. We will support sustainable local and regional VTD production in developing countries, particularly in Africa, including through voluntary technology transfer, and licensing on mutually agreed terms. We remain determined to create an enabling environment focusing on the regulatory framework and the creation of sustainable markets. In this regard, we would welcome Gavi to work with other relevant stakeholders such as the Global Fund on elaborating a market-shaping strategy. We underline the work of WHO and the Medicines Patent Pool to establish the mRNA manufacturing hub in South Africa, which will extend its spokes worldwide. We support the African Union’s goal of reaching a 60% production rate by 2040.
We recognize that improving pandemic prevention, preparedness and response in all countries is key to strengthening global health security and health systems. This must include a multisectoral and One Health approach that recognizes the links among human, animal and environmental health. We will support the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) in drafting and negotiating a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response with a view to adoption under Article 19, or under other provisions of the WHO Constitution as may be deemed appropriate by the INB. We welcome the strengthening of the International Health Regulations (2005) through potential targeted amendments. We encourage the work of the Quadripartite between OIE, FAO, WHO and UNEP, the “One Health High Level Expert Panel” and other relevant initiatives such as PREventing ZOonotic Disease Emergence (PREZODE).
We acknowledge the need to strengthen the global health architecture for enhanced pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. This includes strengthening the WHO, supporting it in its leading and coordinating role in the global health system and financing it accordingly. We welcome the WHO Working Group on Sustainable Finance’s consensus on recommendations to make funding for the WHO more sustainable, predictable and flexible alongside stronger governance, transparency, accountability, efficiency and compliance. Our aim is to enhance global coordination and avoid duplication. We recognize that there are significant financing gaps for pandemic preparedness and response and support the work by the G20 joint Finance-Health Task Force in this respect. We welcome the discussion by G7 Health Ministers with G7 Development Ministers in a joint session on the important issues of vaccine equity and pandemic prevention, preparedness and response in low- and middle-income countries.
We recognize that strong, resilient, gender-responsive and equitable health systems are the foundation for strengthened health security and enable socio-economic development. We reaffirm our commitment to work in partnership to strengthen health systems, public health functions and primary health services, and the health workforce. The goal is the equitable provision of comprehensive, high-quality essential health and mental health services, including for older persons, people with disabilities, women, children, especially girls, adolescents and other vulnerable groups. We reaffirm our commitment to jointly achieving SDG3 particularly UHC, working together towards the UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on UHC in 2023.
We commit to increasing our collective efforts in order to achieve comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all. We reaffirm our commitment to equitable and universal access to quality, accessible, acceptable and affordable sexual and reproductive health services, recognizing the importance of comprehensive and inclusive sexuality education, access for all individuals to modern and quality methods of contraceptives and enhancing individual agency for decision-making about sexual and reproductive health. We stress the need to address the effects of the pandemic on access to SRHR, which has led to 2.6 deaths among women and children for every COVID death in the poorest countries and has put the self-determination, social, educational and economic participation, and wellbeing of women, girls and adolescents in all their diversity at risk.
We recognize the great importance of the Muskoka Initiative on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and commit to making every effort to increase our commitment to Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) and SRHR. Investments will focus on regions with the greatest need, particularly in Africa, prioritize contributions to improving universal access and equitable delivery of primary health care, and contribute to strengthening health system including the health workforce. Our collective engagement will include support for equitable access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, routine immunization, improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in health facilities and communities, social and behaviour change communication, as well as quality health and nutrition services for women, newborn, children and adolescents. Our joint effort aims to make a significant contribution to the achievement of the SDGs on preventable maternal mortality, newborn and child mortality, SRHR and UHC.
We commit to support toward the Seventh Replenishment of the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), to be hosted by US President Biden in the fall of 2022, which has the goal of raising total donor pledges by 30% to reach at least 18 billion USD for the 2023-2025 cycle. We welcome the new Global Fund strategy, which formulates an ambitious yet achievable path jointly with its main technical partners, such as WHO, Roll Back Malaria, Stop TB Partnership and UNAIDS, towards our goal of ending these three diseases while contributing to achieving UHC and the health-related SDGs by 2030.
We need to continue supporting the fight against polio, through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in close cooperation with Gavi. The infrastructure, surveillance capacity and ability to reach vulnerable communities strengthened through GPEI is critical in many countries for preventing and responding to polio and other emerging health threats, including pandemics. The Polio Pledging Moment in October 2022, to be co-hosted by Germany with the aim of raising 4.8 billion USD to fund GPEI’s 2022-2026 Endgame Strategy, presents a vital opportunity for donors to commit support.
Recognizing the fast growing global threat due to the spread of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), our focus is on two complementary pillars: Infection Prevention and Control and Antimicrobial Stewardship, including reliable, resilient and inclusive WASH services. We will step up our support for structures in developing countries for an integrated AMR surveillance system within a One Health Approach, complementing or including the Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS).
We reaffirm our support to strengthen health systems in the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in line with the WHO roadmap and the new Kigali Declaration. Our focus is on the development and distribution of new VTD tools against NTDs and on WASH measures and on encouraging further integration of NTD health services as part of a comprehensive approach to primary health care.
Accountability and transparency are core G7 principles that are essential for maintaining the credibility of G7 leaders' commitments. We are making a strong contribution to G7 accountability by producing the fifth G7 Comprehensive Accountability Report (CAR) in 2022, following up on development and development-related commitments made by G7 Leaders in previous years. We will aim to publish it prior to the 2022 G7 Summit and thus contribute to the legitimacy of the overall G7 process.
With a multitude of ongoing crises, humanity is at a crossroads. It falls upon us to ensure that we keep the SDGs strongly at the centre of our agendas in these difficult times.
We look forward to working with the Japanese Presidency in 2023.
Source: Official website of Germany's 2017 G7 presidency
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