The Prime Minister will urge G20 leaders to take more ambitious
action to defeat the pandemic and address climate change, as he
attends a virtual summit this weekend.
Hosted by Saudi Arabia, the G20 Summit will bring together world
leaders for two days of discussions on how to drive the global
recovery from coronavirus and build back better.
At a session on ‘Overcoming the Pandemic and Restoring Growth and
Jobs’ today [Saturday 21st], will note the UK’s commitment to equitable global
access for coronavirus vaccines and encourage others to step up
and support the COVAX initiative, to ensure developing countries
are not frozen out of the race for a vaccine.
On Sunday [22nd],
he will welcome recent Net Zero commitments from a number of G20
countries at a session on ‘Building an Inclusive, Sustainable and
Resilient Future’, and call on others to make the same pledge.
Ahead of the Climate Ambition Summit co-hosted by the UK on
December 12th, the
Prime Minister will warn that we risk failing future generations
if states do not take bold steps to reduce their emissions.
Speaking ahead of the G20, Prime Minister said:
“The G20 committed in March to do ‘whatever it takes to overcome
the pandemic and protect lives and livelihoods’. As we meet this
weekend, we must hold ourselves to account for that promise.
“If we harness the collective ingenuity and resources of the G20,
we can chart a path out of the pandemic and build a better,
greener future.”
The Prime Minister is attending the G20 remotely from Downing
Street on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22ndNovember.
Both sessions are expected to take place in the afternoon.
ENDS
ANNEX: CAD Transcript of the Prime Minister’s video message ahead
of the G20 (clip available on request)
Prime Minister :
“This has been an unprecedented year – the greatest upheaval many
of us will face in our lifetimes.
“Unfortunately, the circumstances have meant we couldn’t meet in
Saudi Arabia, I couldn’t go to Saudi Arabia to meet everybody in
person.
“But I want to thank King Salman for the Kingdom’s leadership of
the G20 in turbulent times.
“As I’ve said before, it is only by joining forces and working
together that we will defeat coronavirus and build back better
from this crisis.
“Our fates are in each other’s hands.
“The G20 committed in March to ‘do whatever it takes to overcome
the pandemic and protect lives and livelihoods.’
“As we meet this weekend, we must hold ourselves to account for
that promise.
“We have seen encouraging developments on vaccines in the last
few weeks, which may offer a path out of the gloom.
“The UK has committed to equitable global access for any vaccine,
and I would like to see the G20 nations collectively step up and
support that effort.
“This week I announced a ten point plan for a Green Industrial
Revolution in the UK – a significant package that will
symbiotically tackle climate change and drive our economic
recovery.
“And if we were in Saudi Arabia today, we may have visited, what
I would have loved to have done, was to visit the exciting new
city of Neom, whose origins I was able to inspect a couple of
years ago.
“Built on the sands of fossil fuels but powered by green
hydrogen, under an enviable climate, an enviably reliable sun to
provide just inexhaustible solar energy, that city, that vision
of Neom represents a greener future for all of us.
“That future will only be possible if the world’s leading
economies drive forward more ambitious action, more quickly to
prevent further catastrophic climate change.
“Ahead of next month’s Climate Ambition Summit, I’m calling on my
fellow leaders at the G20 to make bold pledges and harness our
collective ingenuity and resources - to defeat the pandemic and
protect our planet and our future for generations.”
