"Humanitarian aid, security and human rights": these are the priorities of the extraordinary G20 on Afghanistan that Prime Minister Mario Draghi formalized in his debut (with a video message of about 20 minutes) in front of a hundred world leaders at the 76th assembly UN general in New York
. "The extraordinary G20 summit will have to give maximum support to these objectives", he said in an all-round speech, where he re-launched the need for multilateralism to address global challenges, from pandemics to climate change, from economic recovery to the fight against inequalities. and food insecurity, up to the resolution of conflicts and the fight against terrorism.
Draghi launched the extraordinary G20 proposed under the Italian presidency of the forum, evoking the risk of terrorism and a "social and civil catastrophe".
"The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is the most immediate and shared concern, also due to the approach of winter", he explained. "But we must also prevent the country from becoming a threat to international security", he warned, referring to the presence of groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and Daesh and inviting the international community "to collaborate effectively, starting with the exchange of information". For the premier, the new Taliban government, which "does not respond to the expectations of the international community for an inclusive government representative of the various ethnic components,"social and religious affairs of the country ".
THE INTERVENTION OF DRAGONS
"The new rulers must demonstrate with their choices, and not just in words, that they believe in respect for individual freedoms", he attacked, admonishing that "in Afghanistan we are witnessing the dismantling of the progress of the last 20 years in the defense of fundamental freedoms. , especially for women ".
The summit on Afghanistan was presented as concrete proof of the multilateralism that Italy wants to relaunch.
"For some time - he regretted - we have been witnessing a progressive weakening of multilateralism, which has guaranteed peace, security and prosperity since the post-war period. However, the last few months have presented us with problems that we cannot solve alone".
Among the main issues addressed by the head of the government was the pandemic: "More than a year and a half after the start of the pandemic, we can think about the future with greater optimism. The vaccination campaign has restored our confidence in our ability to conquer a new normal. After months of solitude, our social life has finally started again ".
But, he warned,
"the pandemic is not over and even when it is, we will have to deal with its consequences for a long time
.
"
Draghi therefore defined the "disparities" in the diffusion of vaccines as "morally unacceptable", "with more than 65% of the population of high-income countries receiving at least one dose, compared to 2% of the poorest countries".
"Fewer vaccinations equate to more deaths," he recalled, adding that "huge differences in vaccination campaigns risk worsening socio-economic inequalities" between nations. Hence Italy's commitment to the poorest countries, starting with those of the African continent, "increasingly central to world economic security and growth", with the commitment of the Italian presidency of the G20 also to facilitate a debt restructuring of the most vulnerable countries.
The premier then raised his alarm on the climate:
"we must act now, to protect the planet, our economy and future generations", he urged, arguing that "it is our duty to listen to young people because they will inherit the planet" . Draghi also reiterated his "firm support" for the leading role of the European Union in the ecological transition and called on governments to commit themselves "directly to helping citizens and businesses to bear the costs".
He sent two more messages to the EU and its member countries.
The first is that it "progressively consolidates" its role in international missions "in line with the ambitions of the European project and in full complementarity with the Atlantic Alliance".
The second is that it shares "burdens and responsibilities" in the management of migration linked to the crisis in Libya, where it has requested that the elections scheduled for December 24 and the full implementation of the ceasefire be guaranteed.
Finally, support for a reform for a "more representative, democratic, efficient, transparent and accountable" Security Council.