Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been invited by her Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau to join a session of the 44th Summit of the Group of Seven (G7).
The summit will be held on June 8 and 9 in La Malbaie, Quebec in Canada.
Trudeau on Friday announced that Canada will welcome the Bangladesh premier and 15 other world leaders and heads of international organizations to a special outreach session of the G7 Summit on June 9.
The session will focus on healthy oceans and resilient coastal communities, according to a statement published on the Canadian prime minister’s official website.
Apart from Hasina, the world leaders and heads of international organizations invited to the special outreach session are:
Mauricio Macri, president of Argentina and Chair of the G20; Jovenel Moise, president of Haiti and chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); Andrew Holness, prime minister of Jamaica; Uhuru Kenyatta, president of Kenya; Hilda Heine, president of the Marshall Islands; Erna Solberg, prime minister of Norway; Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda and chair of the African Union; Macky Sall, president of Senegal; Danny Faure, president of Seychelles; Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South Africa; Nguyen Xuan Phuc, prime minister of Vietnam; Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund; Jose Angel Gurria, secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development; Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations; and Kristalina Georgieva, chief executive officer of the World Bank.
“These leaders and heads of international organizations will meet with G7 leaders to discuss how to build resilient coasts and communities, share ocean knowledge and science, and support sustainable oceans and fisheries,” the statement said.
They will also explore how to best address pressing challenges, including “plastics in our oceans and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing,” it added.
It also quoted Trudeau as saying: “Our oceans and coasts are under considerable threat – from increases in plastic pollution, more frequent and severe weather events, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Resilient coastal communities and healthy oceans are vital to growing economies that work for everyone and that is why we are committed to working with others to protect the world’s oceans.”
It said Canada was committed to working with others in the G7 and beyond to strengthen resilience, fight climate change, and protect our oceans for generations to come.
“As with all work under Canada’s G7 presidency, these discussions will include a focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment,” said the statement.
The G7 is a group consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Having the seven largest advanced economies in the world, these countries represent 62% of global net wealth ($280 trillion), 46% of global nominal GDP evaluated at market exchange rates, and 32% of global purchasing-power parity GDP.
The attendees of the 44th G7 Summit will include the leaders of the seven G7 member states as well as representatives of the European Union.
The president of the European Commission has been a permanently welcome participant in all meetings and decision-making since 1981.