Press Statement by The Global Governance Group (3G) on its Fourteenth Ministerial Meeting on 22 September 2021

1 The Global Governance Group (3G) held its 14th Ministerial Meeting in New York in hybrid format on 22 September 2021 on the sidelines of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). At the 3G’s invitation, the G20 Troika (previous, present and incoming Presidencies) – Saudi Arabia, Italy, and Indonesia – joined the 3G Foreign Ministers to discuss the efforts being made at the G20 and United Nations to address the challenges facing the world today. This annual meeting with the G20 Troika is part of the 3G’s efforts to promote a more inclusive, accountable and effective global governance framework.

2 Italy, in its capacity as the 2021 G20 Presidency, updated the 3G Ministers on the outcomes of key G20 meetings to date, as well as the roadmap to this year’s G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rome on 30 and 31 October 2021. The 3G Ministers welcomed Italy’s ambitious and forward-looking G20 agenda centred on three broad and interconnected pillars of action: “People, Planet, Prosperity”. They commended Italy’s success in furthering the G20’s swift response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These efforts include the G20 Global Health Summit and the recommendations by the G20 High Level Independent Panel (HLIP) on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. The 3G Ministers welcomed the good progress in the various G20 tracks and working groups and the G20’s focus on ensuring a green, global and sustainable post-pandemic recovery, including by bridging the global digital divide, reducing global inequalities, advancing collective action on climate issues, and supporting the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with a focus on accelerating the implementation efforts of developing countries and countries vulnerable to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

3 In light of trade disruptions and protectionist tendencies exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 3G Ministers emphasised the continued importance of promoting an open, predictable, rules-based, transparent, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system, as embodied by the World Trade Organization (WTO), to support sustainable global economic recovery. They reiterated the role of international cooperation in strengthening global supply chain resilience and ensuring unimpeded cross-border flows of food, agricultural, medical and other essential supplies. The 3G Ministers welcomed, inter alia, the G20’s commitment made at the G20 Digital Ministers’ Meeting on 5 August 2021 to leverage digitalisation for a resilient, strong, sustainable and inclusive economic recovery.

4 The 3G Ministers reiterated the need for robust action to address shortfalls in global pandemic preparedness and response, as well as ensure safe, affordable and equitable vaccine access for all. They applauded Italy’s successful convening of the virtual G20 Global Health Summit on 21 May 2021, and welcomed the Rome Declaration’s reaffirmation of the role of extensive COVID-19 immunisation as a global public good, and the importance of sustained investment in global health to achieve universal health coverage. The 3G Ministers reiterated their support for forging effective partnerships among countries to support these aforementioned aims, including through vaccine multilateralism initiatives such as the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX).

5 The 3G Ministers welcomed Italy’s convening of the inaugural G20 Energy-Climate Ministerial, in particular the G20’s commitment to accelerate efforts and investments to reduce short- and long-term greenhouse gas emissions, and to scale up finance and support for developing countries by, inter alia, strengthening cooperative actions on technology development and transfer and enhanced country-driven capacity building, to achieve the long-term temperature goal of the Paris Agreement.

6 The 3G Ministers welcomed the commitment of successive G20 Presidencies to engage non-G20 members, such as the 3G, to include a broad range of international interests and perspectives and strengthen multilateralism and global governance. This included the fruitful engagement with Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Di Maio at the virtual 13th 3G Ministerial Meeting on 23 September 2020. 

7 As Italy continues to advance its G20 Presidency agenda this year, the 3G Ministers looked forward to continuing the good partnership with the G20 under Indonesia’s 2022 G20 Presidency. They encouraged Indonesia to continue the G20’s strong engagement of the 3G and other regional and international organisations, in particular the United Nations. The 3G Ministers highlighted that it was important to ensure inclusiveness, coherence and complementarity at various multilateral fora, in particular when deliberating global standards.

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