With Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley expected in France on Monday to participate in high-level talks on reducing harmful methane emissions, a Government minister from that country is stressing the importance of more international collaboration and continuation of the rules-based system.
France, which holds the G7 presidency in 2026, has been hosting a series of ministerial and other meetings ahead of the G7 Leaders’ Summit from June 15 to 17 in Évian-les-Bains, including the G7 Ministerial Meeting On Development.
In a meeting with journalists from Barbados, Brazil, India and Kenya, Nicolas Forissier, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, underscored the importance of building secure, rule-based agreements partnerships.
This included the reform of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and pursuing trading deals with various countries and regions.
“For a country like France, and it’s true for the other European countries, I think it’s very important to build some secure relations with countries that are like-minded, working on rule-based behaviours, to build some win-win partnerships. This is the philosophy with which we are trying to develop these relations,” the minister said.
“We very much support the idea of reforming the WTO, even if it’s little by little, step by step. But it’s very important to preserve and strengthen the multilateralism in terms of trade, and all the more when you see what’s going on in the world.
“It’s very important for us to build strong partnerships and be very much more present in those countries, especially those with which we are building some free trade agreements.”
Following last week’s meeting of G7 Development Ministers, France is continuing dialogue involving this group of some of the world’s leading economists and other countries, including Barbados.
The International High-Level Multi-Stakeholder Event on Methane Action will take place in Paris on Monday and French officials expect Mottley to be there.
The Prime Minister is on the agenda to deliver a high-level opening statement, along with COP21 president and chair of the COP Presidents Circle, Laurent Fabius, following a welcome address by the French Minister of Ecological Transition Monique Barbut.
Urgeent call
Mottley has already made an urgent call for a legally binding global agreement to reduce methane emissions, which is a potent greenhouse gas, responsible for about 30 per cent of global temperature rise since the industrial era.
Monday’s high-level, multistakeholder event on methane action, organised by France in the context of its G7 Presidency, “aims to accelerate global efforts to reduce methane emissions across the main emitting sectors – energy, waste, agriculture – with a particular focus on the energy sector, which offers the fastest and most cost-effective reduction potential”.
The event will convene a broad spectrum of participants from beyond the G7 membership, including ministers and senior officials, industry leaders, financial institutions, scientific experts and representatives of civil society.
Its objective is to strengthen the momentum of international action on methane ahead of COP 31, providing a platform for tangible announcements and reinforcing signals for increased efforts.
Officials said that amid the current energy crisis, the event will underscore that addressing methane remains a critical priority, demonstrating that ambitious climate action can go hand-in-hand with energy security and resilient, efficient practices across sectors. (SC)
