(Adnkronos) – A three-day G7 Development Ministers’ Meeting got underway on Tuesday in Pescara, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“We are ready to kick off the third G7 Ministerial Meeting falling under the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Tajani said in the statement.
“Development cooperation is an extraordinary tool for peace, growth and stability – issues that we have placed at the heart of the Italian G7 Presidency,” Tajani underlined.
“It will be three intense and structured days of work, which will enable us to discuss global challenges with our G7 partners, various guest countries, the private sector, and international organisations.”
The meeting has been organised under three main themes: food security and sustainable agri-food systems; infrastructure and sustainable investment; and global health the statement noted.
The first day of the meeting features a Humanitarian Conference on the crisis in the Middle East, aimed at coordinating joint action to ensure humanitarian access to war-devastated Gaza – also thanks to the Italian-led ‘Food for Gaza’ initiative – and to Lebanon, according to the statement.
As well as G7 countries, representatives from the countries of the Middle East region (Lebanon, Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories) are attending the event as well as from international organisations UNHCR, UNDP, WFP, FICROSS, IFAD and FAO, said the statement.
Tuesday’s proceedings will end with an event organised Tajani with Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi dedicated to sport as a tool for development, especially in Africa, which athletes Letsile Tebogo and Lorenzo Simonelli are attending.
On Wednesday, Tajani will open a meeting session focused on the topic of food security that will look at the food system, climate and water, as well as child malnutrition – in which Uganda and the African Union will also take part. Another session will focus on coffee value chains, iin which representatives of producer countries, international organisations, and the private sector will also be involved.
Later on Wednesday, the focus of the meeting will shift to global infrastructure and investment, with a session aimed at assessing projects with high transformative potential for Africa, to be implemented in synergy with Italy’s Mattei Plan and the Global Gateway launched by the European Union, the statement announced.
Wednesday’s proceedings will close with an event chaired by Tajani which is dedicated to Italian missionaries and aimed at enhancing their contribution to the sustainable development of local populations and to strengthening education and training opportunities
On Thursday, Tajani will chair a session of the meeting that will centre on global health, in which GAVI and WHO will take part in an exchange of views with the main companies in the health sector. During the debate, investment in health infrastructure and the improvement of access to and distribution of prevention tools in Africa will be discussed, the statement said.
Tajani will hold a press conference at the meeting’s close on Thursday, the statement added.
An installation dedicated to the foreign ministry’s #Together for SDGs campaign will be set up in Pescara during the G7 development ministers meeting, noted the statement.
