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G20 Summits • 2021 Rome Summit | Road to the 2021 Rome Summit

Prime Minister Draghi's Opening Address

Rome, October 30, 2021
[video]

Dear colleagues,

It is a pleasure to welcome you in Rome today for this G20 Summit.

First of all, I would like to say that it is great to see all of you here, after a difficult few years for the global community. 

The pandemic has kept us apart – as it did with all our citizens. And even before, we faced protectionism, unilateralism, nationalism.

But the more we go with all our challenges, the more it is clear that multilateralism is the best answer to the problems we face today.

In many ways, it is the only possible answer.

From the pandemic, to climate change, to fair and equitable taxation, going it alone is simply not an option.

We must do all we can to overcome our differences.

And we must rekindle the spirit that led to the creation of this group.

Almost two years since the start of the pandemic, we can finally look at the future with great - or with some - optimism.

Successful vaccination campaigns and coordinated action from governments and central banks have allowed the global economy to rebound. 

Many of our countries have launched recovery plans to boost growth, reduce inequalities, promote sustainability.

Together, we are building a new economic model, and the world will be all the better for it.

However, we must be aware of the challenges we face collectively. 

The pandemic is not over and there are startling disparities in the global distribution of vaccines. 

In high-income countries, more than 70 % of the population has received at least one dose. 

In the poorest ones, this percentage drops to roughly 3 %.

These differences are morally unacceptable, and undermine the global recovery.

We are very close to meeting the WHO's target of vaccinating 40% of the global population by the end of 2021.

Now we must do all we can to reach 70% by mid-2022.  

We must also continue to invest in research, eliminate trade barriers affecting COVID-19 vaccines, and enhance predictability in their delivery.

And we need to strengthen supply chains, while expanding vaccine manufacturing capacity at local and regional level.  

As G20 Presidency, Italy has worked to promote a more equitable recovery

The Global Health Summit in Rome saw countries and companies make generous vaccine pledges for poorer countries: we must make sure we honour them now.

We reached a historic agreement for a fairer and more effective international tax system.

We oversaw the allocation of 650 billion dollars in new Special Drawing Rights and endorsed the possibility of redistributing them to the countries that are most in need.

These results are a powerful reminder of what we can achieve collectively.

They must encourage us to be just as ambitious in all the areas where we work together.

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Source: Official website of the Italian Government