Statement: G7 reaction as summit fails to deliver for children

In response to the outcomes of the G7 summit, Kirsty McNeill, Executive Director of Policy and Campaigns at Save the Children, said:

‘This summit took place while the pandemic is still raging but you wouldn’t know from the agreement that we are facing a series of interlocking emergencies.

‘Since the G7 last met two years ago, children’s lives have been turned upside down by Covid-19. Now, instead of a plan to get them all safely back to school, we’ve had an education announcement without enough money to back it up. Instead of a funded plan to vaccinate the world by the end of 2022, we got a dose-sharing deal that offers a billion jabs literally a whole year too late. As we look ahead to the G20 and COP26 in the autumn, the world’s most powerful countries need to up their game.

‘This was supposed to be the first major summit of the recovery. It wasn’t. There is so much more to do to make 2021 a year of real change for children.’ 

Kirsty McNeill is at the G7 Summit and available for interview at the Falmouth media centre all day. With any enquiries, please contact Isobel Turriff on i.turriff@savethechildren.org.uk / +44 7968 858795 or 24 hrs: media@savethechildren.org.uk / 07831 650409.