Germany’s G7 Presidency 2022 – highlighting shared values
How can CO2 be removed from the atmosphere as efficiently as possible to slow global warming and climate change? Why do some people suffer late effects from a COVID-19 infection and others do not? What must policy-makers do to protect scientific freedom, especially for researchers threatened by Russia's war of aggression? These are all questions that the science ministers of the most important industrialised countries of the western world, the G7, were discussing in Frankfurt am Main in June 2022. DLR Projektträger prepared the content and organisation of the meeting – guided by the motto of the German G7 Presidency "Progress for a just world".
Solidarity with Ukraine
The G7 is united by the goal of of closer cooperation, including in the scientific field. Against the backdrop of the war of aggression, it was particularly vital to emphasise common values and express solidarity with Ukraine. Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger personally welcomed colleagues from France, Italy, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States as well as from the European Union – and also the Ukrainian Minister of Science, Serhiy Shkarlet, who attended the meeting virtually. The Federal Research Minister's central message to Ukraine was that it is now important to continue the personal exchange. Ukrainians should be able to learn and study in Germany as quickly and smoothly as possible – or even continue their previous activities, especially in science.
Securing the future through research for scientific freedom, health and the climate
On behalf of the BMBF, DLR Projektträger had developed technical priorities in advance and coordinated them with the G7 partners in working meetings. To protect the freedom, integrity and security of science and research, the G7 countries agreed on a common approach. This was based on a paper by the G7 working group on "Security and Integrity of the Global Research Ecosystem", on which we have been advising the BMBF on strategy and content since 2021, in order to develop a list of principles and best practices for protecting the integrity and security of research, as well as a virtual academy together with the G7 partners. We also advised the German government on issues such as the design of the G7 pandemic preparedness pact and the strengthening of the G7’s One Health approach. We were also involved in bilateral discussions during the Presidency and the ministerial meeting. The results of our work were incorporated into the G7 Science Ministers' Communiqué. This final declaration sets the course for the coming years – for scientific freedom, for research to combat climate change, and for post-COVID research.
The results of our work were incorporated into the G7 Science Ministers' Communiqué. This final declaration sets the course for the coming years – for scientific freedom, for research to combat climate change, and for post-COVID research.
Japan takes over the G7 presidency in 2023. The central topics in science and education will be research integrity and security as well as the integration of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). On behalf of the BMBF, we have already started the technical preparations for the next presidency.
