Just prior the Taormina G7 Summit, international civil society organizations express their deep concern on the absence of concrete answers to global challenges, from humanitarian crisis in Africa to climate change, to migration. CSOs underline also the risk that Agenda 2030 commitments, endorsed only two years ago, are set aside. Are the Leaders forgetting their engagement to the whole planet? We are not up for this!
Taormina Summit will start in a few days, in a crucial geopolitical moment witnessing deep transformations. “This will not justify G7 Leaders not taking action” say Italian Global Coalition Against Poverty (GCAP Italy, of which Cesvi is member) spokepersons Massimo Pallottino and Stefania Burbo, representing over 100 civil society organizations engaged on development issues, environmental sustainability and human rights. “We are deeply concerned that G7 Taormina Summit will miss the opportunity to look for common solutions to the Planet and people problems”.
GCAP Italy recognizes the role past G7 Summit had in taking effective solutions to emergencies, especially regarding the poorest and most vulnerable people and the environment.
“We are expecting the G7 Summit to take a clear shared commitment to solve global problems. Some months ago, we asked citizens to scream out loud ‘G7 open your ears!’. Now time has come and the 7 Leaders must act together to find effective solutions”.
G7 must confirm and renovate their engagement, especially on the following issues.
Around 30 million people in South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and north-east Nigeria are going through alarming conditions, due to hunger and famine. “An effective response to this emergency must be immediately promoted, together with a long period engagement to act on the root causes of hunger and malnutrition” GCAP Italy strongly advocates.
Climate change is a challenge to be faced with the highest priority, Paris Agreement on Climate has to be applied in a fast and tangible way in order to protect the Planet, people, communities and countries, starting from the most vulnerable ones, from the disastrous impacts of climate change.
Migration must not be considered as a threat to be stopped, but as an opportunity. Historically, human mobility brought development and has to be treated respecting fundamental rights: “This is crucial to fight inequalities and is the basis to build relations with countries of origin and transit of migrants, sharing responsibilities to improve refugees and migrants reception, protection and assistance, with particular attention to the most vulnerable categories, such as women and children. Migratory flows control must not be a condition of development aid management and the fight against poverty”.
Health is a fundamental human right for women and men. G7 have to act to guarantee global health, confirming HIV/AIDS commitments and the Global Fund improvement, as a historical G7 milestone.
Sustainable development cannot be achieved without gender equality and women’s rights respect: “We ask for the adoption of a Roadmap recognizing women and girls as real agents of change and development and providing concrete measures to eliminate violence in private and public spaces”.
G7 must ensure that all the children have a quality education, even in emergency contexts. Moreover, recognizing a key role to global citizenship education is fundamental to face global challenges and to build inclusive and peaceful societies.
Finally, facing high levels of economic inequalities is fundamental: “We ask for the adoption of an effective action plan, to guarantee that inequalities are not weakening the fight against poverty and that structural barriers limiting women participation to economic life are removed. No development is possible, if more than the 50% of the population is excluded”.
Cover Photo: Laura Salvinelli