India to make a pitch on various aspects of Covid-19 management at G7 meet

India is likely to make a pitch on various aspects of Covid-19 management, such as tackling challenges created by the pandemic globally, and the nation's participation in supplying vaccines in future, at the Group of Seven (G7) summit.
 

A senior government official said India may take up various aspects of the pandemic, including vaccines, building resilient supply chains, as well as a post-recovery road map.
 

The G7 summit will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually.
 

The United Kingdom (UK) is hosting a summit at Cornwall, where seven of the world’s most powerful countries - the UK, the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan - will come together to thrash out a global response to the pandemic, trade, climate, among other challenges.
 

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has invited leaders from Australia, India, South Africa, and South Korea to join the summit this year.
 

This is the first meeting of the member countries since the outbreak of the pandemic. It will take place at a time when several countries continue to battle the deadly virus.
 

While the richer nations are making fair progress in their inoculation drive, the poorer countries continue to struggle with limited access to vaccines.
 

Johnson had recently said he would urge the rest of the leaders at the summit to help vaccinate the world by the end of next year. “We have a responsibility to do everything we can to defeat Covid around the world,” Johnson had said.
 

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla last week also said India would participate in the process of creating global-scale capacities needed to deal with pandemic-scale challenges. “A number of serious global conversations are underway on this on platforms such as the G7, G20, Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, BRICS, the United Nations, and the World Health Organization,” he had said.
 

The official cited above also said the issue of Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights waiver on Covid vaccine could be discussed. “However, the issue is primarily being taken up at the World Trade Organization (WTO),” added the official.

Experts expect the pandemic and the global health system to be key areas of discussion at the summit.
 

However, any development on trade-related issues will be keenly watched, they said.