G7 leaders tackle migration, AI and economic security on second and final day of summit in Italy – Madison.com

BARI, Italy — The Group of Seven leading industrialized nations turned their attention to migration, artificial intelligence, economic security and the Indo-Pacific region on Friday, the second and final day of their summit in Italy.

The gathering in a luxury resort in Italy’s southern Puglia region also discussed other major topics, such as financial support for Ukraine, the war in Gaza, climate change, Iran, the situation in the Red Sea, gender equality and China’s industrial policy and economic security.

“We are working together and with others to address the pressing challenges of our time,” the G7 leaders said in a final communique, noting their solidarity with Ukraine, support for a deal that would lead to an immediate cease-fire and release of hostages in Gaza, investment in sustainable infrastructure in Africa and commitments to address climate change and migration.

Divisions emerged during the summit, however, notably over the lack of a reference to abortion in the summit’s final declaration.

Asked if the G7 gathering has lived up to expectations, French President Emmanuel Macron was circumspect.

“The aim of the G7 is to create convergence and be able to remove misunderstandings. It’s not a place where you decide emergency measures or regulate things,” he said, adding that there was “true convergences on Ukraine and Mideast.”

Migration was the first topic of discussions Friday, with the leaders mulling ways to combat trafficking and increase investment in countries where migrants start out on often life-threatening journeys.

The issue is of particular interest to summit host Italy, which lies on one of the major routes into the European Union for people fleeing war and poverty in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Right-wing Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, known for her hard-line stance on migration, is eager to increase investment and funding for African nations as a means of reducing migratory pressure on Europe.

The leaders “launched the G7 Coalition to prevent and counter the smuggling of migrants,” the summit’s final declaration said, noting the seven nations would “focus on the root causes of irregular migration, efforts to enhance border management and curb transnational organized crime, and safe and regular pathways for migration.”

Meloni has a controversial five-year deal with neighboring Albania for the Balkan country to host thousands of asylum-seekers while Italy processes their claims. She also spearheaded the “Mattei Plan” for Africa, a continent-wide strategy to increase economic opportunities at home to discourage migration.

For its part, Britain has a deal to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda, though no flights have yet taken off. Human rights organizations blast the agreement as unethical and unworkable.

The United States also is struggling with a growing number of migrants. President Joe Biden introduced new policies to limit migration after a bill he tried to get through Congress failed to pass.

Apart from the G7 nations of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the U.S., the Italian hosts also invited several African leaders — Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Kenyan President William Ruto and Tunisian President Kais Saied — to press Meloni’s migration and development initiatives.

Rights groups decried what they said was a lack of ambition in support for developing countries.

The ONE Campaign, which advocates for investment in Africa, said it found the G7 and EU institutions’ share of aid going to Africa was at its lowest point since 1973.

“Without any concrete action, the G7 in Italy amounts to no more than pointless platitudes,” said David McNair, executive director at The ONE Campaign. Though the summit’s final statement “reflects promises of increased partnership between the G7 and Africa, there are very few specifics on what new financing, if any, will be available.”

Pope Francis also became the first pontiff to address a G7 summit, delivering a speech on artificial intelligence. Other invitees include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The summit opened Thursday with a strong show of support for Kyiv: an agreement on a U.S. proposal to back a $50 billion loan to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets as collateral.

Biden also signed a bilateral security agreement with Zelenskyy, aiming to send a signal to Russia of American resolve in supporting Kyiv.

But some cracks appeared among the G7 leaders, notably French President Emmanuel Macron deploring a lack of a reference to abortion in the summit’s final document.

The statement after last year’s summit in Hiroshima, Japan, expressed a commitment to provide access to safe and legal abortion to women and girls, and pledged to defend gender equality and the rights of members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The word “abortion” was absent from this year’s final communique, although it included a reference to promoting sexual and reproductive health rights.