Day 3 of the 2021 G7 Summit

The British Prime Minister shrugged off reports of a rift with French President Emmanuel Macron over a trade pact, as the fallout from Brexit continues to overshadow other issues at the G7 summit in Cornwall, England.  

Speaking at a news conference to close the summit, Johnson said the “vast, vast majority” of the conversations have been about other subjects, and that there has been a “fantastic degree of harmony” on climate change and Covid-19 vaccines.

However earlier in the day, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab described comments made by Macron on Northern Ireland as “offensive” after UK media reported on Saturday that Macron had suggested during the summit that Northern Ireland is not part of the United Kingdom. 

Johnson also said the UK shares “common interests” with US President Joe Biden in areas such as climate change, female education and in "leveling up" in infrastructure and technology.  “We are totally on the same page,” on green initiatives and they share “many policy goals” he said. “It  is the job of the UK prime minister to get on with the American President,” he added.

Johnson dodged a question about whether he would take the knee, should he ever be called up to play on England’s football team, after the team was booed by parts of the crowd at a Euro match on Sunday after some players took the knee. Johnson responded that “everyone should cheer the England team,” and that it was unlikely he would ever play for England.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the G7 came together this week to support the Global Partnership for Education, which is working to give every child in the world a chance at education reach half of its five-year fundraising goal. He said the UK would be contributing a "430M pound donation" to the organization.

He said it's an "international disgrace" that some children are denied the opportunity to learn and reach their full potential.

"I'm proud that G7 countries have agreed to get 40 million more girls into schools, 20 million more reading by the end of primary school in the next five years," Johnson said.

He said he wants to see every girl in the world access to 12 years of quality education .

The leader said that the money we have raised this week is a "fantastic start."

World leaders attending this week’s G7 issued a call for a new study into the origins of coronavirus, including in China, after an initial report was deemed lacking because Beijing refused to cooperate.

They also agreed in a final statement to speak out against human rights abuses in China, a matter that had been hotly debated behind closed doors over the course of the three-day summit.

And they singled out Russia as harboring networks who have conducted ransomware attacks wreaking havoc on critical systems, saying countries must do more to address criminal activity within their borders.

American officials characterized the China language in particular as a coup for President Biden, who entered the summit hoping to convince fellow leaders to take a tougher line. He has made the competition between democracies and autocracies a central theme of his first foreign trip, and wants leaders of other democratic countries to more vocally speak out against authoritarian regimes.

He met resistance from some European leaders, who do not share Biden’s view of China as an existential threat. It was unclear leading up to the final session whether language specifically calling out forced labor practices or human rights abuses would be included in the final statement.

Ultimately, the final communiqué that was released on Sunday expressed “concern” about state-sponsored forced labor, particularly in agricultural, solar, and garment sectors. It said China must respect human rights in Xinjiang, allow a high degree of autonomy in Hong Kong and work to avoid a security deterioration in the South China Sea.

It also called on leaders to consult one another to find ways to counter abusive economic practices.

“This has been an unusually substantive and productive G7,” a White House official said.

Some more context: The summit’s concluding statement came after an intense debate on the language that stretched overnight. US administration officials said on Saturday that while Biden and other leaders got along well, the China issue posed an area of disagreement.

In particular, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and leaders from the European Union appeared reluctant to include lines in the final document that might be viewed as a provocation to China, according to senior administration officials.

Biden was backed in his views by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and, to a degree, by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has adopted a harder line on China as he faces reelection next year.

Read more about the statement here.

In a statement to mark the end of the G7 summit, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that leaders of the world's richest nations have pledged over one billion Covid-19 vaccine doses for the rest of the world – either directly or through funding to COVAX.

Speaking about the Oxford-​AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at the news conference, Johnson said, “Today over half a billion people are safe because of the development and production of that vaccine.”

"What we as the G7 need to do is to demonstrate the benefits of democracy and freedom and human rights to the rest of the world. We can achieve that through medical history. We can do that by working together to stop the devastation that coronavirus has produced from ever occurring again," he added.

Earlier this week, Johnson announced the UK will donate at least 100 million surplus Covid-19 vaccine doses to COVAX and countries in need within the next year.

Ahead of the G7 summit, US President Joe Biden announced the United States plans to donate 500 million Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine doses globally. As for a timeline, officials said the Pfizer doses will begin to ship in August and 200 million doses will be delivered by the end of this year. The remaining 300 million doses will be delivered in the first half of 2022.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is holding a news conference as the three day G7 summit comes to a close in Carbis Bay, England.

Climate and the economy were key issues in the summit's final plenary sessions.

Leaders of the world's richest economies also agreed to “align” their positions on vaccines, funds for Africa and fighting against "pressure from authoritarian regimes,” EU Council President Charles Michel said earlier Sunday.

However, fallout from the UK's departure from the European Union continues to overshadow Johnson's efforts to reposition post-Brexit Britain on the global stage.

G7 leaders have agreed to “align” their positions on vaccines, funds for Africa and fighting against "pressure from authoritarian regimes,” EU Council President Charles Michel said on Sunday at the G7 summit in Cornwall, England.

Over the last three days at the summit the EU has worked to convince the “world’s leading democracies” to join it in accelerating global vaccine deliveries. “The priority was to ensure we can meet the demand for vaccines and here the EU has taken the leadership. Partners have now joined us to accelerate production and delivery of vaccines worldwide," Michel said.

"Another point, of special significance to me, is our engagement with Africa. For some years already, with some leaders in Europe we are convinced that this engagement with Africa needs to be at the heart of our future international relations. Increasingly, we’ve been able to unify the positions of European countries on this issue and now we have convinced our partners to further mobilise funds to secure a win-win strategy for Africa and Europe,” Michel added in a statement.

G7 leaders are expected to announce on Sunday that they will stop all new direct government support for coal by the end of the year, unless it is “cleaned” through a process of decarbonization, according to a White House statement.

Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel and one of the biggest contributors to climate change. G7 leaders are expected to announce they will at least halve their carbon emissions by 2030, from 2010 levels, and cutting back on coal could help reach that target.

Some scientists and environmentalists, however, are wary of claims of “clean” fossil fuels, and argue that the world should transition entirely to renewables instead.

The White House said in a statement that G7 leaders, who will wrap up a three-day summit in England’s Cornwall on Sunday, had agreed to “concrete actions” to speed up the world’s transition from coal to cleaner energy sources.

“Unabated coal” refers to coal that is not decarbonized.

The announcement will come alongside a green global infrastructure plan – “Build Back Better for the World” – pitched as an alternative to China’s sprawling Belt and Road program, which has involved building railroads, motorways and other major infrastructure projects, in deals with some 100 countries.

The program has allowed China to raise its profile and global influence, particularly in the developing world and places like eastern Europe.

The White House statement said Canada, Germany, the UK and the United States would provide up to $2 billion to support the Climate Investments Funds, which is aiding the transition from coal for in developing countries.

Despite the announcement to end support for coal plants abroad, some G7 countries are still showing support for the fossil fuel.

The UK government, for example, approved plans for a new deep coal mine, the first in 30 years, in Cumbria, though its future is in doubt after a backlash and inquiry into its environmental impacts. Japan has agreed to phase out old, inefficient coal plants, but is still heavily reliant on the fossil fuel.

The world knows how to address the climate crisis -- what is needed now is the political will to act in time, veteran UK naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough has told leaders at the G7 summit.

"Our scientific collaboration on Covid treatment and vaccines showed just how much we can achieve together when the goal is clear and urgent," he said.

"We know in detail what is happening to our planet; and we know many of the things we need to do during this decade. Tackling climate change is now as much a political and communications challenge as it is a scientific or technological one.

Attenborough, 95, addressed the G7 leaders via video as they entered the final day of the summit.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s commitment to increase global vaccine access during a bilateral meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the G7 summit, according to Downing Street.

“He explained the work the UK is doing to increase access to vaccines worldwide, which includes our financial contribution to COVAX and our recent announcement that the UK will donate 100 million surplus vaccines in the next year,” a Downing Street spokesperson said. 

“The leaders agreed there is an urgent need to expand vaccine manufacturing capacity around the world and increase access." 

According to Downing Street, the two leaders agreed to work together to “strengthen” the relationship between the UK and South Africa through enhancing trade partnership and investment links.

“The Prime Minister and President Ramaphosa discussed the need for the G7, and other large economies, to support clean and sustainable growth in the developing world,” the spokesperson added.

South Africa is one of several nations invited to this year's G7 summit as a guest.