G7 summit kicks off with focus on pandemic and climate change

Leaders of the Group of Major Industrialized Nations (G7) are meeting on Friday for a summit that is overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic.

On the first day, leaders are due to discuss recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, focusing on questions such as Covid-19 vaccine donations and financial aid to build vaccine production sites around the world.

In the evening, leaders are scheduled to attend a reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II and her son, Prince Charles, during which environmental protection and fighting climate change are on the agenda.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is hosting the three-day summit in the coastal village of Carbis Bay.

It is the leaders' first in-person meeting in this format in two years, after the G7 leaders only met virtually last year due to the pandemic.

First time for Joe Biden

It is the first major international summit for US President Joe Biden, which he is attending as part of a one-week Europe trip.

The G7 comprises the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Canada. On Saturday, the leaders of Australia, India, South Korea and South Africa are invited as guests as well.

Johnson has said he hopes this will make the summit more of a conference of leading democracies.