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G-7 Summit Parrots Familiar ‘Build Back Better’ Message As Talks Kick Off

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Shelby Talcott Senior White House Correspondent
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The G-7 summit appears to have adopted President Joe Biden’s “build back better” campaign message, with some world leaders repeating it as the event kicked off in the U.K.

The trip marks Biden’s first foreign event since taking office as the G-7 summit is made up of a group of the world’s largest democracies. This year’s summit is likely to focus on recovering from the COVID-19 global pandemic, climate change and trade, BBC noted.

“Build back better” became a common phrase during Biden’s campaign and has since become the catch-phrase for the president’s “three-part agenda to rescue, recover, and rebuild the country.” This agenda includes the American Rescue Plan, the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan.

The phrase which was used as early as 2004 by the U.N., and in May 2020 by U.K. Prime Minister Boris Boris quickly became the G-7 summit’s message this year. Johnson announced on Twitter Friday that “this year’s @G7 Summit will be all about how we #BuildBackBetter.”

“The pandemic has been the biggest test the world has seen for generations,” Johnson added. “And as the most prominent grouping of democratic countries, the world will look to the G-7 to apply our shared values and diplomatic might to the challenge of defeating the pandemic and leading a global recovery.”

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Johnson highlighted “building equally and … in a more gender-neutral” way during his opening remarks to other world leaders Friday. The prime minister said the countries must be “building back greener, building back fairer and building equally and – how should I put it? – in a more gender-neutral and perhaps a more feminine way.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also tweeted out the phrase, noting that the summit plans to “build back better for everyone.” (RELATED: Trump Offers Biden ‘Good Luck’ In Meeting With Putin, Flaunts Russia Investigation)

The G-7 plans to donate one billion COVID-19 vaccines to poor countries to help the world rebound from the pandemic. Half of this will come from the U.S. and 100 million will come from Britain.

“We’re going to help lead the world out of this pandemic working alongside our global partners,” Biden said Thursday.

The G-7 summit ends Sunday, at which point Biden will continue on to the European Union Summit and the NATO Summit. The American president will end his first foreign trip with a much-anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.