LONDON: The G7 summit opens in Cornwall on Friday when leaders from seven of the world’s most democratically and technologically advanced economies will gather for crucial discussions on world issues, including expanding the supply of vaccines internationally, leading the global recovery from the pandemic, tackling climate change, preserving the planet and championing free trade.
The leaders of the UK, US, Canada, Japan, Germany, France and Italy, plus the EU, will meet at Carbis Bay Hotel on Friday for the three-day G7 Leaders’ summit.
This year, the UK has taken on the G7 presidency.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to ask the group to encourage pharmaceutical companies to adopt the Oxford-AstraZeneca model of providing vaccines at cost for the duration of the pandemic.
At the summit world leaders are expected to announce they will provide at least one billion coronavirus vaccine doses to the world through dose sharing and financing.
They are also expected to set out a plan to expand vaccine manufacturing in order to achieve that goal.
The UK will pledge 100 million doses from its surplus stock, 80% of which will go to Covax and the remainder will be shared bilaterally with countries in need, Downing Street said on Thursday.
Johnson invited Australia, India and South Korea to attend the G7 as guests to deepen the expertise around the table.
The Indian flag is among the 10 flags displayed at Truro station to welcome travellers to the summit.
Indian PM Narendra Modi was due to attend in person on Saturday, but owing to the Covid crisis in India he will attend virtually instead.
A huge security operation is in place with airspace above Cornwall closed, parts of the sea off limits, and roads and footpaths sealed off.
Residents living in some areas are having to show two forms of ID to access their homes.
Five thousand police officers have been drafted in from police forces from across the UK, a thousand of whom are sleeping in a 60,000-to 200-metre-long luxury cruise ship, Silja Europa, which is docked in Falmouth.
Hundreds of personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force, as well as bomb sniffer dogs, naval vessels and air defence capabilities are supporting the police.
A T23 frigate and HMS Northumberland is positioned off the coast.
By Thursday the UK PM and US President Joe Biden had arrived in Cornwall where they held a bilateral meeting ahead of the summit at which a historic new Atlantic Charter was expected to be agreed, modelled on the historic statement made by Churchill and Roosevelt on the post-war world order.
Various protests are planned by groups, including Extinction Rebellion, Surfers Against Sewage and Resist G7, over the three days.
Josh Pentin, assistant manager at Chain Locker in Falmouth, said views amongst locals about the G7 disruption was mixed.
“Carbis Bay has made modifications to accommodate leaders so quite a few people are up in arms about that.
Some people think it is ironic they have brought a cruise liner in to house the police since it is one of the most polluting vessels when it is meant to be all about the environment “On the other hand, this summer we are fully booked so it is great for business — Cornwall is constantly busy anyway.
I’m happy about it.
I love the fact they chose Cornwall.
It’s going to put St Ives and Falmouth on the map.
It’s brought a real buzz to the town and it’s good to see it lively after being so closed for so long for the lockdowns.”