ITALY, Jun 14 – President William Ruto has arrived in Apulia, Italy for G7 meeting, joining Joe Biden and Pope Francis, who is listed as the main speaker.
He is expected to address the summit later on today.
The G7, comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union, will address critical global issues on international cooperation.
Other African heads of States attending the summit include the President of Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia.
Also at the summit are Presidents Joe Biden of the United States, Mohammed bin Zayed (UAE), Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Turkey), Kaïs Saïed and African Union Chair (Tunisia) and Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (Mauritania), who is also the African Union chairperson.
Others are Presidents Luis Inácio Lula da Silva (Brazil), Javier Milei (Argentina), Abdelmadjid Tebboune (Algeria), King Abdullah II (Jordan) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Mondi.
Also at the summit are United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres, African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina, World Bank President Ajay Banga, International Montero Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann.
G7 countries share common values such as political pluralism, liberal democracy and representative government.
At the G7 Summit, President Ruto will emphasise the importance of involving African countries in finding solutions to global challenges such as climate change, peace and security, including war and other conflicts.
He will also highlight Africa’s potential for green industrialisation, digital revolution and innovation and cite the huge renewable energy reserves in the continent.
These renewable energy resources can help many developed countries achieve their Netzero targets by 2050.
Additionally, President Ruto will outline AU reforms aimed at enhancing trade and development, peace and stability and greater global participation.
President Ruto has been persistent in calling for the reform of the international financing architecture, including multilateral development banks, to ensure inclusivity and fair representation.
He has stressed the need to democratise the boards of multilateral development banks, ensuring that all members have an equal say in their management.
The current international financial architecture, the President has pointed out, “is faulty and unfair, and must be fixed” because it neglects the interests of developing countries.
