A part of the draft of the Leaders' Declaration to be announced at the G7 Hiroshima Summit has been revealed. It will support emerging and developing countries, also known as the "Global South," to transition to a circular economy while taking into account the circumstances of each country in the field of climate change and energy.

At the G7 Hiroshima Summit to be held this week, in addition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the situation in the Indo-Pacific, including China, we will discuss relations with emerging and developing countries, also known as the "Global South," and the Leaders' Declaration will be released as an outcome document.

The Japan of the Presidency has been coordinating with other countries in advance on the content of the Leaders' Declaration, and the draft of the parts related to climate change countermeasures, the environment, and energy has been revealed.

The draft states that in order to achieve "carbon neutrality" with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest, the pace of the transition to clean energy will be increased and actions will be taken to transform the economy.

It states that it will "support developing and emerging economies to transition to climate-resilient circular economies in a diverse and practical manner that takes into account their respective circumstances."

He also pointed out that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a special situation where energy prices have soared, especially in developing countries, and it is appropriate to invest in the natural gas sector in a way that is consistent with climate change goals, depending on the circumstances of each country.

Since emerging countries and developing countries, also known as the "Global South," have different positions, including their sense of distance from Russia and China, the Japan policy is to promote assistance according to the circumstances of each country, and this idea is reflected in the draft.

On the other hand, the term "Global South" itself does not have a clear definition and is perceived differently by different countries, so we are making adjustments not to use it in the declaration.