The 52nd G7 Summit concluded on June 17, 2026, in the French lakeside town of Evian-les-Bains, with leaders of the world’s seven major industrial democracies adopting nine joint declarations on issues ranging from critical minerals to migrant smuggling. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the summit as India’s representative, marking his seventh consecutive participation at the G7 gathering. Held under the French presidency, the summit also saw Japan unveil a USD 10 billion energy resilience initiative for Asia.
What Is the G7?
The Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental political and economic forum of the world’s seven largest advanced economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The European Union also participates as a non-enumerated member. The G7 originated from informal meetings of finance ministers in 1973, and the first leaders’ summit was held in Rambouillet, France, in 1975 with six members (then called the G6). Canada joined the following year, making it the G7.
Russia was admitted as a full member in 1998, expanding the grouping to the G8, but was suspended indefinitely in 2014 following its annexation of Crimea. The G7 has no permanent secretariat or founding treaty. Its presidency rotates annually among member states, with the presiding country setting the agenda and hosting the summit. Together, G7 nations represent roughly 10% of the global population but account for approximately 43% of the world’s nominal GDP.
The 52nd Summit: Key Facts
France held the G7 presidency for 2026 and hosted the 52nd summit from June 15 to 17 at the Hôtel Royal in Evian-les-Bains, a resort town in the Haute-Savoie region on the shores of Lake Geneva. The summit was held under the theme “Working Together to Address Major International Challenges”. This marked the second time Evian hosted the summit, having previously held the 29th G8 summit in 2003, making it the first French town to host the gathering twice.
French President Emmanuel Macron chaired the summit, which was attended by leaders from all G7 members along with the Presidents of the European Council and European Commission. Several non-member countries were invited as outreach partners, including India, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, South Korea, Qatar, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia and Syria were also invited but their leaders did not attend.
The summit produced nine joint declarations covering a wide range of issues: geopolitical challenges, international partnerships, balanced economic growth, the fight against cancer, tackling migrant smuggling, drug trafficking, critical mineral supply chains, protection of minors online, and a coordinated response to the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in Africa.
Tackling Migrant Smuggling: A New Declaration
One of the key outcomes of the Evian summit was the adoption of the Leaders’ Declaration on Tackling Migrant Smuggling. The declaration builds on previous statements made at the Apulia summit in 2024 and the Kananaskis summit in 2025, and was also endorsed by partner countries Kenya and South Korea.
The declaration describes migrant smuggling and human trafficking as serious transnational crimes that erode the sovereign right of states to control their borders while exposing vulnerable people to life-threatening risks. Leaders committed to preventing, countering, and dismantling organized criminal networks that profit from these activities.
Under the declaration, G7 ministers have been tasked with continuing robust implementation of the G7 Action Plan to Prevent and Counter the Smuggling of Migrants. The leaders recognized ongoing efforts to adopt targeted sanctions and restrictive measures against individuals and entities involved in smuggling operations, including those using online platforms. They pledged to intensify cooperation with social media companies to detect, prevent, and remove content used to facilitate smuggling.
The declaration also emphasizes deeper cooperation with countries of origin and transit to dismantle trafficking networks and address root causes such as economic instability. It calls for strengthening mechanisms to ensure the timely, safe, and dignified return of individuals who do not have the legal right to remain in G7 territories.
Securing Critical Minerals Supply Chains
The Declaration on Securing Supply Chains for Critical Minerals was another major outcome of the summit, reflecting the G7’s growing concern over the concentration of critical mineral supply chains. The declaration was supported by Australia as a partner country.
Critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements, and nickel are essential for the production of batteries, semiconductors, defence equipment, and renewable energy technologies. The declaration expressed grave concern over non-market policies, arbitrary export restrictions, and economic coercion in this sector. These concerns come in the wake of China’s dominant position in rare earth processing and its previous export curbs on permanent magnets, which disrupted global supply chains.
To address these vulnerabilities, the G7 announced the establishment of a non-binding G7 Critical Minerals Resilience and Production Alliance to strengthen diversification and streamline existing initiatives. The leaders set a specific target to reduce dependence on any single supplier outside the G7 and partner countries for rare earth elements and permanent magnets to under 60% by 2030, with an ambition to reach 50% as soon as possible.
The declaration cited progress on 195 critical minerals projects announced since the start of 2026, representing EUR 64 billion in investment, including equity participation and offtake agreements. The G7 also committed to advancing recycling, stockpiling capacity, transparency frameworks, and the mobilization of public and private capital for processing and industrial capacities.
POWERR Asia: Japan’s USD 10 Billion Energy Initiative
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, attending her first G7 summit as Japan’s leader, introduced the Partnership On Wide Energy and Resources Resilience Asia (POWERR Asia) to the G7. The initiative was originally launched by Takaichi in April 2026 during an AZEC Plus (Asia Zero-Emission Community) online summit with Asian leaders.
POWERR Asia is a comprehensive cooperation framework designed to address both emergency and structural energy challenges faced by Asian countries. It provides financial cooperation of approximately USD 10 billion through Japanese institutions including the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI), and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The framework has two main components. First, emergency response measures to finance the procurement of crude oil and petroleum products and maintain supply chains in Asia. Second, structural responses aimed at building long-term energy resilience, including establishing crude oil stockpiling and release systems, constructing storage infrastructure, securing critical minerals, diversifying energy sources such as LNG, biofuels, and small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), and promoting industrial energy efficiency.
The initiative came in response to the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint through which a significant portion of Asia’s oil supplies transit. Takaichi noted that Asian countries were the most affected by the crisis and stressed the need for coordinated regional action. At the G7, she also proposed strengthening global oil stockpiles in collaboration with the International Energy Agency (IEA), a proposal that received support from other leaders.
India at the G7 Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 52nd G7 Summit as a representative of India, one of several outreach partner countries invited by France. This was India’s 13th participation in a G7 summit overall and Modi’s seventh consecutive appearance, underscoring India’s consistently elevated engagement with the grouping since 2019.
Modi took part in the outreach session on “Forging New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity”, where he emphasized that trust is the world’s most critical strategic asset. He argued that global challenges stem more from a shortage of trust than a shortage of resources, and called for moving beyond the traditional donor-recipient model towards partnerships based on equality and mutual respect. He also amplified the voice of the Global South, pressing for equitable participation of developing and middle-income countries in global governance frameworks.
On the sidelines of the summit, Modi held a series of important bilateral meetings. With Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, he discussed the progress of negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and cooperation in energy, technology, and innovation. With UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, talks focused on deepening trade ties, defence collaboration, and clean energy partnerships. Modi also met UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and discussed the situation in West Asia, emphasizing dialogue and diplomacy.
In his meeting with US President Donald Trump, Modi raised the issue of safety of Indian seafarers following the deaths of three Indian crew members in a recent strike in the Gulf. The two leaders discussed progress on the proposed India-US trade agreement and cooperation on maritime security. Modi also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and reiterated India’s position that it will always be on the side of peace.
Key Takeaways
- The 52nd G7 Summit was held in Evian-les-Bains, France, from June 15 to 17, 2026, under the French presidency.
- Leaders adopted the Declaration on Tackling Migrant Smuggling and the Declaration on Securing Supply Chains for Critical Minerals, alongside seven other joint statements.
- Japan launched POWERR Asia (Partnership On Wide Energy and Resources Resilience Asia), a framework offering nearly USD 10 billion in financial cooperation to strengthen energy and critical minerals supply chains.
- The G7 established the Critical Minerals Resilience and Production Alliance and set a target to reduce dependence on a single supplier for rare earths to under 60% by 2030.
- PM Narendra Modi attended the summit for his seventh consecutive appearance, marking India’s 13th participation in a G7 summit.
- The 53rd G7 Summit will be hosted by the United States.
