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On Sunday (Nov 22), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at G20 summit joined leaders from the world’s 20 wealthiest countries, committing to work together to keep the trade smooth, fight climate change and provide COVID-19 vaccines to poor countries.
These commitments are implied in the final communiqué issued by the leaders of G20 at the end of a closed-door and two-day virtual discussion that ostensibly aimed at coordinating the international response to the coronavirus pandemic.
In spite of pledges, experts say that the leaders have missed an opportunity for addressing the biggest issues facing the world, partly because most of the pledges are not new. Although the summit was hosted by Saudi Arabia, the communiqué did not mention any human rights or any new fund including for vaccines in Africa and somewhere else.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Justin Trudeau raised human rights with other leaders throughout the virtual summit. He also promoted on major topics such as climate change, free trade, equal access to vaccines and other COVID-19 support for people.
Justin Trudeau said in a statement after the summit, “Only together can we tackle the greatest challenges of today and tomorrow, and create a more resilient world that works for everyone.”
However, if the meeting was considered to mark the beginning of a new era in international partnerships, more than a decade after the expert group seriously addressed the 2008 financial crisis, but experts said it did nothing.
Justin Trudeau participated in the Group of Twenty (G20) leaders’ summit, seeking a firm commitment to provide vaccines and other medical support to poor countries struggling with the virus. He also planned to promote the fight against the protectionism and climate change.
Although Canada has pledged to invest CA$ 440 million in a global program to ensure fair access to the COVID-19 vaccine when it is ready, observers hope that the G20 countries will allocate another US$ 4.5 billion to fill the funding gap.
Canada and many other countries are now scrambling to cope with the resurgence of COVID-19 cases, which has caused huge health, economic losses and triggered a lot of government expenditures.
Justin Trudeau framed this expenditure as an opportunity to solve many inequalities and root causes in the international economic system, including freeing the world from dirty energy and develop more sustainable infrastructure. These ideas are reflected in the communiqué, but there is no specific content or new timetable.
There was also no mention of limitations on foreign companies bidding for infrastructure contracts. This has become a concern for Canadian companies hoping to take advantage of such work in the United States.
