G20 leaders to discuss ways to tackle impact of pandemic, make travel easier

ROME/MOSCOW. Oct 29 (Interfax) – Dealing with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the world economy, people’s health, and the prospects for travel will be among the key topics on the agenda of the G20 summit in Rome on October 30-31, which Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend by video link, Russian G20 Sherpa Svetlana Lukash said.

"The pandemic situation has shown that all spheres of life are interconnected, and even the tourism sector has gained a special role from the point of view of the mobility of the population and business amid the pandemic," Lukash told journalists ahead of the G20 summit.

In particular, the G20 is considering specific solutions as regards how to make the movement of people, commodities, and services easier, how to agree on possible recognition of vaccination certificates, and how to make it easier for people to travel, for instance, with the help of Eurasia’s Covid-free travel initiative, she said.

At the same time, the priority championed by the G20, which will be discussed at the summit, is immunizing the planet’s entire population, Lukash said.

"Here the participants plan to adopt decisions on specific targets, i.e., to ensure the vaccination of at least 40% of the planet’s population by the end of this year and at least 70% of Earth’s population by the end of next year," she said.

"We’re certainly bracing ourselves for further crises in healthcare and do not rule out not only the development of the current pandemic, but that it is also necessary to prepare for the future. That’s why the participants will discuss steps to strengthen the global healthcare system with the World Health Organization playing a central coordinating role in this process," Lukash said.

Pandemic-related issues will also dominate discussions on economic growth, she said.

"It’s about helping the most vulnerable and poorest countries that have found themselves in a more difficult situation due to the burden on their social systems," Lukash said.

The Russian official also listed "climate risks and the development of cryptocurrencies" among the summit’s priority topics.

"Environmental protection has topped the G20 agenda throughout the year and will be among the key topics of the summit," Lukash said.

"Of course, it’s difficult to find a common denominator, but all G20 countries are committed to finding a compromise" in order to help the upcoming Climate Conference in Glasgow succeed, she said.

"Over the past few years, the G20 agenda has significantly broadened, which is why a wide variety of topics, including issues which were previously not core for the G20, for example tourism, will be discussed at the summit," Lukash said.