French Presidency of the G7: what are its ambitions in terms of combating global inequality and promoting development?
In 2026, France will hold the presidency of the G7, with the Heads of State Summit scheduled to take place in Evian from June 15 to 17, 2026. This sequence runs parallel to the US presidency of the G20, whose summit will be held on December 14 and 15, 2026, in Miami. It occurs in an international context marked by ongoing geopolitical tensions, persistent macroeconomic imbalances, and a significant increase in the financing needs for sustainable development and the fight against climate change. In this context, the ability of international economic governance bodies to produce common operational guidelines is a key issue.
The French presidency of the G7 thus opens a series of discussions on the coordination of public policies, the mobilization of international financing, and the place of global public goods. It also raises the question of the role of small formats such as the G7 in an international system that is more fragmented than ever since World War II, faced with challenges that go far beyond the scope of its members. As this deadline approaches, Focus 2030 is mobilizing to contribute to the public debate, fuel reflection, and strengthen dialogue between public authorities, international institutions, and civil society actors, drawing on factual analysis and data.
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What is the G7 today?
Created in 1975, the G7 originally brought together the leading advanced economies to coordinate their responses to global economic crises. Today, it includes Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Union.
The weight of the G7 in the world today:
The G7 is neither an international organization nor a formal decision-making forum. However, it remains an informal arena for political influence, capable of shaping economic, financial, and development priorities on a global scale.
The priorities of the French G7 Presidency in 2026: global imbalances in question
The G7 Summit of Heads of State and Government will be held in June 2026 in Evian (June 15-17), attended by G7 member countries and several invited major emerging countries. At this stage, Brazil and India are confirmed to participate, with South Africa potentially joining (to be confirmed), and other emerging powers may also be involved in the talks (notably Indonesia and Korea).
Given the polarised political context, the French Presidency has opted for a strategy focused on observations (“shared diagnoses”) rather than on the immediate search for binding solutions that could block negotiations. The aim is to maintain dialogue with all partners, particularly the United States, by identifying areas of convergence (such as aid effectiveness and private sector engagement) while accepting compromises on more divisive issues.
Beyond the summit itself, the French presidency will be part of a structured annual process, punctuated by numerous preparatory meetings throughout 2026. These will include meetings of sherpas and sub-sherpas, as well as sectoral ministerial meetings (foreign affairs, finance, development, etc.), aimed at informing the summit’s political priorities and strengthening coordination between participating states and their partners.
The G7 under French presidency will be organized around seven tracks (negotiation channels): Finance, Development, Foreign Affairs (crises), Trade, Digital, Home Affairs, and Environment/Energy. Artificial intelligence (AI) and global health have also been identified as major sub-themes.
According to the initial guidelines available, the French presidency of the G7 in 2026 should be structured around two main pillars:
1. Reducing global macroeconomic imbalances
This first pillar, led by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (Treasury), aims to strengthen macroeconomic coordination between major economies in a context of high debt, inflationary pressures, and financial fragmentation.
2. Reforming the global development framework
The second pillar, led by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will focus in particular on:
- The development of innovative financing (debt-for-development swaps, guarantees, financial mechanisms beyond traditional official development assistance, and moving beyond the simple measurement of official development assistance to map all net financial flows).
- Targeted support for the most vulnerable countries: taking better account of countries’ vulnerability and fragility (beyond the sole criterion of income) for eligibility for financing.
- Promoting a “win-win” partnership approach and “return on investment.”
- International solidarity mechanisms.
Sherpa meetings:
- Sherpa 1: January 20 in Versailles.
- Sherpa 2: March 29-31 in Aix-en-Provence.
- Sherpa 3: May 20-22 in Toulouse (TBC).
- Sherpa 4: Just before the summit in Evian (June).
Key dates for the 2026 Presidency: The G7 is not limited to the summit in Evian. It includes a series of related events that will complement the agenda (the full agenda is available here):
- March–May 2026: Series of seven ministerial meetings (Finance, Development, Foreign Affairs (crises), Trade, Digital, Interior, and Environment/Energy).
- April 7, 2026: One Health Summit in Lyon.
- May 11-12, 2026: Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi (Kenya), to strengthen the partnership with the African continent.
- June 15-17, 2026: Head of State Summit in Evian.
The G7: an opportunity to reform the international financial architecture?
With the 2026 G7 summit approaching, reforming the international financial architecture is emerging as a strategic priority, as part of the follow-up to the Pact for Prosperity, People, and Planet (4P). Initiated by France since the Paris Summit for a New Global Financial Pact, the 4P was explicitly reaffirmed at the Presidential Council for International Partnerships on April 6, 2025, confirming its role as a reference framework for France’s international action. This commitment was also reinforced by President Emmanuel Macron’s statements in Sevilla at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, with the stated aim of promoting the 4P in multilateral forums, particularly within the G7. With this in mind, France intends to use the G7 to contribute to the reform of the international financial architecture, even if the specific terms of its inclusion on the agenda and the level of ownership by other members remain uncertain.
In this context, Focus 2030 is mobilizing a series of governmental and non-governmental partners and continuing its analytical work, which will result in the production of an updated version of its report monitoring the reform of the international financial architecture ahead of the G7 leaders’ summit.
G7 engagement groups: the contribution of civil society actors
Officially recognized by the G7, engagement groups are coalitions of civil society actors tasked with formulating policy recommendations for heads of state and government. They are organized by key sectors, such as the C7 for civil society, the W7 for women’s rights, and the Y7 for youth. They work in parallel with the official negotiations to influence the final decisions of the Summit. With a view to France’s presidency in 2026, these groups aim to “spur on” the French government and its counterparts and ensure that ambitious political and financial commitments are made to address major global challenges (health, poverty, climate, development financing).
 Civil 7 (C7): brings together civil society organizations and international solidarity actors, coordinated by Coordination SUD. |  Think tanks 7 (T7): brings together think tanks, coordinated by IDDRI and ECFR. |
 Women 7 (W7): brings together civil society organizations from G7 countries and developing countries working on women’s and girls’ rights, coordinated by Equipop, Care France, Plan International, Planning Familial, and IPPF. |  Business 7 (B7): constitutes the business world platform linked to the G7, coordinated by MEDEF. |
| Labor 7 (L7): represents the interests of workers and employees. | Science 7 (S7): encourages, supports, and protects scientific research. |
 Youth 7 (Y7): brings together young people mainly from G7 countries who want to get involved in issues relating to global governance, coordinated by Open Diplomacy. |  University 7 (U7+): brings together universities. |
 Urban 7 (U7): brings together local authorities, coordinated by France Urbaine. |  G7 Lawyers: promotes the rule of law, access to justice, the fundamental principles of democracy, and the independence of the judiciary, coordinated by the Conseil national des barreaux. |
 Pride 7 (P7): to promote and protect the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, coordinated by Égides. | The presidents of the G7 parliaments also meet during the “G7 Parliamentary Meeting,” coordinated by the National Assembly. |
G7 Labeling
New for 2026: “G7 Labeling” France is introducing a system enabling civil society actors (NGOs, think tanks, local authorities, businesses) to have their initiatives recognized. Subject to validation via a dedicated platform and compliance with an ethical charter, events aligned with the Summit’s priorities will be able to obtain the official “French Presidency of the G7” label. This status allows the use of the official visual identity, institutional recognition, and increased visibility within the presidency’s program.
G7 and G20 agendas in 2026
Find out more
- Official website of the French Presidency of the G7
- The latest Focus 2030 analyses related to the G7 and G20
- Focus 2030 follow-up report on the 4P commitments on reforming the international financial architecture
- What can we expect from the French Presidency of the G7 in terms of health (Global Health Action)?
- Review report on the first year of negotiations for the future United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation (CCFD – in French)
