World leaders converse with one another behind a round, light brown wooden table with white placecards depicting various countries' names and flags. Behind them is a cream colored wall poster where the words "G7 ITA" can be seen in blue letters with the green logo to the left. Image courtesy of the Foreign, Commonweath and Development Office via flickr.jpg.
BY ELIZABETH MURRAY ’26
GLOBAL EDITOR
It was a game of who’s who at Borgo Egnazia resort, where the 2024 G7 Summit was held in the town of Fasano, Apulia in southern Italy. The event was a gathering of various world leaders and important figures on the world stage.
From June 13 to 15, the G7 Summit brought together all seven member states, including the U.S., France, Canada, Japan, Germany, Italy and the U.K. Also present was Charles Michel, the president of the European Council; Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission representing the EU; and leaders of various international organizations and countries that were invited by the host country’s leader. This year, that leader was Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, according to the summit’s website. The host country is always one of the member states and changes from year to year.
The New York Times reported that invitations were also extended to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, among others.
This year's meetings were held under the shadow of elections, scandals and anti-incumbent sentiments stretching across the globe, CNN reported. A week earlier, far-right parties made massive gains in the European Parliamentary elections. Additionally, France, the U.K. and the U.S. are about to hold important elections. France and the U.K. are both set to hold nationwide legislative elections between late June and early July, and depending on the upcoming U.S. presidential election results, it could be Trump and not Biden attending next year’s meeting.
On the docket was migration, the wars and humanitarian crises in Ukraine and Gaza, economic security and issues surrounding artificial intelligence, according to BBC News.
Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky met with the summit leaders and spoke at a joint press conference with U.S. President Joe Biden. Ukraine is set to receive $50 billion in aid from the interests gained from frozen Russian assets, and Zelensky signed security pacts with the U.S. and Japan, The New York Times reported.
All of the G7 leaders also agreed on a peace plan for the Israel-Hamas war proposed by Biden. According to BBC News, this plan would bring about an immediate cease-fire, the release of Israeli hostages and increased aid for displaced Palestinians in Gaza. The plan also includes a peace deal that would insure Israeli security, as well as the safety of those living in Gaza.
The leaders of 12 nations from Africa, South America and Asia were also in attendance to discuss economic development. Italy plans to give grants and loans totaling around $5.9 billion to several African nations, and build hydrogen and gas lines between the two continents, BBC News reported. Italy’s intentions with this project have been questioned, as some view it as a way to limit immigration.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government is known for its hard-line stance on immigration, and has a five year deal with Albania to host asylum-seekers as they wait for their claims to be processed, the Associated Press reported. In January 2024, Meloni outlined her goals: “What needs to be done in Africa is to build cooperation and serious strategic relationships as equals, not predators,” and “to defend the right not to have to emigrate ... and this is done with investments and a strategy,” she said, according to the Associated Press.
According to BBC News, the members also agreed on an anti-coercion pact to stop China and Russia from using their financial power to exert control over others. This comes after Italy pulled out of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, after being the only European nation to join. The Belt and Road Initiative is a project to expand China’s ports and trade routes around the globe by building new infrastructure in various countries. Meloni described entering the project as “a serious mistake.”
World leaders also reaffirmed their goals to fight against climate change and maintain a limit of a 1.5 degrees Celsius global temperature rise, according to the World Economic Forum. The conversation focused on transitioning away from fossil fuels like coal, and toward renewable energy sources.
Pope Francis became the first pope in history to address the G7 summit, presenting a speech about artificial intelligence to the members, the Associated Press reported. In his speech, he warned of AI’s risk and urged leaders to center human dignity, especially concerning the use of weapons and machinery manned by AI. He also advocated for leaders to ban the use of lethal autonomous weapons.
There was a lot of anticipation leading up to the pontiff’s speech after Prime Minister Meloni announced his attendance, the Associated Press reported.