The Group of Seven - or G7 for short - is an organisation made up of the world's seven richest nations: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
This year, the UK is hosting the G7 summit and holds the Presidency. The key meeting with the G7 leaders will take place over the weekend, from June 11th to June 13th in Carbis Bay, Cornwall.
The G7 is the first big test for Global Britain. Yet the aid cuts are undermining the UK’s leadership of the G7. The UK is set to spend 40% less on humanitarian aid than before the pandemic, at a time when the UN predicts that the humanitarian need in 2021 is almost 40% higher than in 2020. If Boris Johnson hopes to persuade other countries to increase funding for climate finance or for tackling famine, the UK must lead by example and return to its longstanding commitment to spend 0.7% of its national income on aid.
First, take our quiz to see how much you know about this year's G7:
How much do you know about the #G7Summit?
— International Rescue Committee - UK (@RESCUE_UK) June 10, 2021
Follow this space for the latest on the G7:
Ahead of the #G7Summit tomorrow, the IRC's UK head of policy @djayasinghe is down in #Cornwall to help put famine prevention on top of the agenda and call on the UK government to undo the aid cuts.
— International Rescue Committee - UK (@RESCUE_UK) June 10, 2021
Follow us for live updates over the next few days. pic.twitter.com/cNFTpJXCbl
IRC's UK head of policy, Daphne Jayasinghe is in Cornwall as the G7 leaders arrive for the summit. She spoke to the Independent on what the UK aid cuts mean for the UK's G7 presidency:
The UK is “very much the outlier as the only #G7 country making these kinds of [aid] cuts.”
— International Rescue Committee - UK (@RESCUE_UK) June 10, 2021
“With #France committing to reach the @UN 0.7% target and #Germany and #US increasing aid spending," says the IRC's UK head of policy @djayasinghe.https://t.co/xN8H218sb7
The IRC is calling on world leaders to ensure that famine prevention, tackling climate change, supporting the COVID-19 economic recovery, and gender equality is high on the agenda for this year’s G7. The G7 represents a chance for change. Collective action to prevent famine is vital in the context of reduced and dramatically cut aid budgets. This is not the time to turn our backs on the most vulnerable. G7 leaders are convening at a time of unprecedented global crisis. Humanitarian needs are rising around the world. The number of people experiencing acute hunger rose from 135 million to 155 million across 55 countries in 2020. Without urgent action, an estimated 270 million will be at risk of acute food insecurity, in 2021.
Here are 5 ways the UK government can help end the hunger crisis:
Five ways the UK government can use the #G7 to help end global famine and hunger.
— International Rescue Committee - UK (@RESCUE_UK) June 10, 2021
Get the factshttps://t.co/HPeXluTzrd
The IRC’s reaction to the G7 final communique:
We warmly welcome the #G7’s endorsement of the Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Crises Compact and the recognition of the disproportionate impact of the #climatecrisis, #covid and conflict on escalating hunger and malnutrition.
— International Rescue Committee - UK (@RESCUE_UK) June 13, 2021
The #G7 Summit has failed to deliver the real action needed to end the global pandemic or tackle the climate emergency.
— International Rescue Committee - UK (@RESCUE_UK) June 13, 2021
Given that women & girls are disproportionately impacted by the economic & health shocks we are disappointed not to see broader commitments to gender equality.
The UK’s cuts to humanitarian aid have damaged its credibility, as it attempts to rally support for recovery from the economic & health crisis created by the pandemic from #G7 leaders and as it prepares to host #COP26 later this year.
— International Rescue Committee - UK (@RESCUE_UK) June 13, 2021
Our full statement: https://t.co/nEC2vhr6Hi