The upcoming G20 Summit will be truly historic: It will be the first ever to be chaired by an Arab country, and will take place in the exceptional context of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the particularly troubled times we live in when international cooperation and solidarity are more important than ever.

By calling an extraordinary Leaders’ Summit on March 26 to address the consequences of the pandemic, Saudi Arabia rose to the gravity of the global health crisis.

In another first, the Kingdom has also been able to organize the November summit in virtual mode.

Since last December, the Saudi presidency of the G20 has been exemplary and I welcome the wise decision-making and responsibility that Saudi Arabia has exhibited in recent months.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the global economy and the livelihoods of people throughout the world, while revealing vulnerabilities in our preparedness and response and highlighting common challenges.

The G20 had to rise to this historic challenge, which is why French President Emmanuel Macron pleaded for an ambitious G20, one that would be capable of addressing global issues which could not be resolved by countries in isolation but only through increased international cooperation.

The most urgent challenge has been organizing the international response to the pandemic.

France considers that the World Health Organization is the proper framework within which we must develop and implement our collective answer; it is important that the G20 gives its full support to this organization.

Our response to a pandemic cannot be based on nationalism or competition: We therefore promote fair and affordable access to COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines and support the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) initiative and its COVAX facility, as well as the voluntary licensing of intellectual property.

The world’s most fragile economies, particularly in Africa, have been hit very hard by the pandemic. This continent now faces the real risk that some countries will slide back into a spiral of poverty and over-indebtedness.

For years, France has persistently asked the G20 to make a commitment to supporting Africa. In close coordination with the Saudi presidency, we have achieved the establishment of a moratorium on the debt of the poorest countries until 2021.

The G20 must be an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of implementing the Paris Agreement.

Ludovic Pouille

This moratorium, though, is only one aspect of the problem: In order to prevent debt from hampering development, we must make sure that it is bearable. We therefore propose that the rules of the Paris Club should extend to the rest of the world.

Poverty cannot be tackled effectively without economic growth, but recent years have shown that growth can be accompanied by rising inequalities. The pandemic has had a devastating impact on labor markets as millions of workers continue to face job and income loss. We cannot allow part of the population to be placed in a situation of such great vulnerability.

True to its tradition of social justice, France promotes access to comprehensive, robust, and adaptive social protection for all.

Since women have been disproportionately affected by the crisis, there is a real risk that gender inequalities will further widen unless we collectively take vigorous measures.

In cooperation with the Saudi presidency, France has aimed for strong commitments in favor of gender equality and the promotion of women’s and girls’ empowerment. Tremendous progress has been made in recent decades, but it remains fragile: It is up to us to make it irreversible.

But all these efforts will be in vain if we do not respond to the climate emergency. As we recover from the pandemic, we are committed to safeguarding our planet and building a more environmentally sustainable and inclusive future for all.

The prevention of environmental degradation, the conservation, sustainable use and restoration of biodiversity, the preservation of our oceans, clean air, clean water, the response to natural disasters and extreme weather events, and the fight against climate change are some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

By proclaiming that the only way to tackle global warming is if we all stand together, the Paris Agreement was an important step forward. The G20 must be an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of implementing the Paris Agreement.

France counts on participating countries to upgrade or maintain their nationally determined contributions, whilst recognizing that further global efforts are needed.

With only a few days to go until the G20 Leader’ Summit, which will mark the conclusion of the Saudi presidency, let me express the hope that discussions there will see levels of ambition commensurate with the exceptional nature and magnitude of the challenges we have faced over the past year.

To conclude, I would like, in my capacity as ambassador of France to Saudi Arabia, to underline the importance that we attach to the comprehensive strategic partnership linking our two countries to address these global challenges.

• Ludovic Pouille is the French ambassador to Saudi Arabia