It seems that the G7 that took place last weekend in Carbis Bay, near St Ives, in Cornwall, was a good chance for the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US to take some great photos with quaint landscapes in the background. Guess we all need a holiday after all these lockdowns and they managed almost three full days in a scenic place.
Unfortunately, though, the results of this weekend of meetings did not seem to take into account the urgency of certain situations, from vaccines to climate change. You get indeed the feeling that the G7 was an amicable way to have a chat, avoid ambitious financial commitments or leave them for the G20 in October or the UN climate change summit (COP26) in November.
Campaigners were disapppointed by the final decisions taken that left many with the impression that targets weren't really met. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnston recently promised "to vaccinate the world", but the G7 offered 1bn extra Coronavirus vaccines (by donating surplus supplies or providing further finance to Covax, the UN-backed scheme charged with distributing vaccines) for the world's low- and middle-income countries over the next 12 months rather than 11bn suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO). With this deal it is unlikely that at least 70% of the global population will be vaccinated by the time of the G7's next summit in Germany; probably only 10% of the population in low/medium income countries will be vaccinated.
Besides, the G7 leaders promised they will engage constructively on the issue of intellectual property waivers regarding vaccines, yet this sounds rather vague and makes you wonder if this means more long and useless talks (waiving the patent is almost easy compared to all the infrastructures and training that would have to be implemented).
The G7 countries committed to end international financing of coal projects, confirmed their goal to limit global heating to 1.5C, and agreed to protect and restore 30% of the natural world by the end of this decade, yet their decisions didn't seem to have the urgency that should be dictated by the major environmental catastrophe we are living in and committing is just not enough.
The G7 also agreed to increase the special drawing rights (SDRs) of low-income countries by $100bn (but South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa had asked for $162bn). The SDRs are issued by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to vulnerable countries to help them reduce borrowing costs and help them investing on sectors such as the health system.
For what regards China's human rights abuses, the G7 only issued a statement on the use of forced labour in Xinjiang and called on China to "respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially in relation to Xinjiang and those rights, freedoms and high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law".
The minimum tax rate for corporations was another issue discussed during the meetings: US President Joe Biden may have wanted to introduce a 21% minimum tax rate, but then it was agreed to put a 15% floor under the tax paid by the world's largest corporations, in particular tech firms such as Amazon, Google and Facebook.
Education was a controversial note: Johnson announced at the summit he would provide £430m of extra UK funding for girls' education in 90 developing countries, but in April the UK government had already announced cuts to the funds allocated for this cause (£400m compared to £600m in 2019), so it felt as if the UK Prime Minister was calling others to provide funds while his country was cutting them.
There was one positive note, though, but that concerns the return of a more balanced leadership for what regards the US, a step forward compared to former US President Donald Trump's erratic and chaotic behaviour.
At these global political events there is always a fashion moment and in this case it came courtesy of US First Lady Dr Jill Biden (it is worth remembering that, having been an educator for over three decades, Dr Biden focused on the importance of education during her appearances at the summit). Despite a while back Dr Biden and her team declared there will not be any discussions nor explanations about her fashion choices, FLOTUS' blazer ended up doing all the talking.
Dr Biden donned a jacket with the word "Love" spelled out on the back in shiny studs: this seemed to be the reply to Melania Trump's "I really don't care, do you?" green hooded Zara parka, that the former First Lady wore in 2018 when she went to visit migrant children at a Texas detention centre (at the time the First Lady's communications director, Stephanie Grisham, hastily explained to the media in a statement that it was just a jacket, but Donald Trump reappropriated the debate and claimed it was a response to the "fake news media").
Dr Biden explained to journalists this was a message of love from the US: " (...) this is a global conference, and we're trying to bring unity across the globe," she added. "And I think that's important right now that people feel a sense of unity for all the countries, and feel a sense of hope after this year of the pandemic."
It's not the first time that Dr Biden has worn the garment in public: in April 2019 she opted for the jacket during a campaign rally in Philadelphia (a perfect message that also matched with Robert Indiana's landmark sculpture in Philly's John F. Kennedy Plaza) and this is not the first time she turned to fashion to hep her spreading a message of unity.
In January for the concert that followed her husband Joe Biden's swearing-in ceremony, the First Lady chose a design created by Uruguayan-American designer Gabriela Hearst that featured federal flowers from the United States as a symbol of unity.
At the G7 Dr Biden wasn't the only one who promoted sustainability in her wardrobe: Carrie Symonds, the new wife of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, rented from My Wardrobe HQ most of the clothes and accessories she wore - from her mustard yellow dress by Alice Eady to her bright blue Amanda Wakeley suit, her yellow Gucci bag and Prada shoes. Symonds is not new to wearing rented clothes: she got married in a tulle and silk dress by Greek designer Christos Costarellos that she rented from the same site.
While this is a point to prove her credentials and support to the sustainable cause (Symonds worked at the ocean conservation NGO Oceana and at the end of January 2021 she was appointed head of communication for the animal rights charity The Aspinall Foundation), her sustainable choices align pretty well with her husband's cheapskate fame. Alice Eady's Rhianon Dress, sold for £265, can be hired from My Wardrobe HQ for just £8 a day, so who knows, maybe this combination of sustainability and affordable rented clothes will mean that Boris' marriage will be long-lasting.
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