Day 1 of the 2021 G20 summit

By Kara Fox, Adrienne Vogt and Fernando Alfonso III, CNN

Updated 4:25 p.m. ET, October 31, 2021
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9:44 a.m. ET, October 30, 2021

Protesters take to the streets of Rome amid G20 summit

From CNN's Sarah Diab

Climate activists from 'Fridays for Future' take part in a protest against the G20 of World Leaders Summit on October 30, in the district of the Pyramid of Cestius in Rome.
Climate activists from 'Fridays for Future' take part in a protest against the G20 of World Leaders Summit on October 30, in the district of the Pyramid of Cestius in Rome. Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images

Hundreds of protesters are gathering at Piazzale Ostiense for a march to the Bocca della Verita.

Police say they expect 5,000-10,000 people to join. Protesters included workers who have lost their jobs from globalization (jobs moved abroad), climate activists, communists, and trade unionists.

8:44 a.m. ET, October 30, 2021

Prince Charles will call on G20 leaders to put words into action in climate address on Sunday

From CNN’s Max Foster, James Frater and Martin Goillandeau in London

Prince Charles in Windsor, England on October 19, 2021.
Prince Charles in Windsor, England on October 19, 2021. (Alastair Grant/POOL/Getty Images

Britain’s Prince of Wales will call on G20 leaders to translate their “fine words” on climate into “finer actions” as he addresses the summit in Rome on Sunday. 

Prince Charles received an invite to the G20 directly from Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi and with the backing of UK Prime minister Boris Johnson, a spokesperson for Clarence House told CNN. 

“It is in recognition of the decades of work he has done on the issue of climate change,” Clarence House said in a statement.

Charles' address is expected to be a plea ahead of the COP26 Summit in Glasgow.

The Prince of Wales is expected to say he is “positive” after nearly five decades focusing on the issue but that “we must, now, translate fine words into still finer actions,” the spokesperson said.

Charles will also attend a reception and dinner Saturday hosted by Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace in Rome.

He will be greeted by Mattarella and his daughter, Laura Mattarella, as well as by Draghi and his wife, Maria Serena Cappello. 

The Prince of Wales will then join leaders for an official photograph before attending the private reception and dinner Saturday evening.

8:01 a.m. ET, October 30, 2021

G20 leaders are endorsing a landmark global minimum tax rate for companies

From CNN's Kevin Liptak

G20 world leaders at the opening session Saturday.
G20 world leaders at the opening session Saturday. (Brendan Smialowski/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

World leaders are endorsing a landmark global tax plan that aims to prevent large companies from shifting profits to avoid paying taxes, a White House official said on Saturday.

The first G20 session on Saturday is on the global economy and pandemic, with its main objective being an endorsement of the global minimum tax.

The measure is one of Biden's chief priorities. His administration believes the move will end the global race-to-the-bottom on corporate tax rates. 

The measure will tax large multinational companies at a minimum rate of 15% and require them to pay taxes in the countries where they do business.

The new rule will be formalized when the leaders release a final G20 communiqué on Sunday -- when the summit ends.

"Today, G20 leaders will support the establishment of a historic global minimum tax. We expect to see the GMT formally endorsed in the Leaders communique on Sunday," the White House official said. 

The Biden administration resuscitated the global initiative earlier this year, securing support of G7 countries in June, which paved the way for a preliminary deal in July.

Another senior administration official calls the measure more than just a tax deal.

It's a reshaping of the rules of the global economy," the official said.

Biden administration officials have downplayed the effect that Democratic infighting around a sweeping bill on infrastructure and spending has on Biden's ability to rally foreign leaders.

7:47 a.m. ET, October 30, 2021

Vaccine distribution disparities are “morally unacceptable," Italian PM says

From CNN's Chris Liakos and Kara Fox

Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi leaves after posing for a group photo with medical personnel and world leaders at the G20 summit in Rome, Saturday. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi leaves after posing for a group photo with medical personnel and world leaders at the G20 summit in Rome, Saturday. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) (Gregoria Borgia/AP Photo)

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi kicked off the G20 summit urging leaders to unite in the face of global challenges.

"Even before [the pandemic] we faced protectionism, unilateralism, nationalism -- but the more we go with all our challenges, the more it is clear that multilateralism is the best answer to the problems we face today. In many ways it's the only possible answer," Draghi said in his opening speech.

From the pandemic, to climate change, to fair and equitable taxation, going it alone is simply not an option. We must do all we can to overcome our differences,” he added.

The Italian prime minister also raised the issue of vaccine distribution disparities, saying leaders must be "aware" of the collective challenges ahead.

More than 70% of people in high-income countries have received at least one dose of a vaccine, he said. In comparison, only 3% of eligible people living in the world's poorest nations have been given one shot.

"These differences are morally unacceptable and undermine the global recovery,” Draghi said.

On Friday, the World Health Organization appealed to G20 leaders to narrow that gap, saying that the "current vaccine equity gap between wealthier and low resource countries demonstrates a disregard for the lives of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable."

In an open letter, WHO called on the G20 leaders to commit to increasing vaccine supplies for the world’s poorest, ensuring access to vaccines for refugees, migrants, internally displaced people and asylum-seekers and to support low and middle-income countries to combat the virus with "all available means."

For every 100 people in high-income countries, 133 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered, while in low-income countries, only 4 doses per 100 people have been administered, according to WHO.

7:39 a.m. ET, October 30, 2021

Harry and Meghan urge G20 leaders to tackle Covid-19 vaccine inequity

From CNN's Sharon Braithwaite in London

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in New York on September 23, 2021.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in New York on September 23, 2021. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have urged G20 leaders to tackle Covid-19 vaccine inequity and end the pandemic "once and for all."

In an open letter co-signed by WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and published Friday, they said:

Today, we join with others to urge global leaders to end this devastating inequity and end this pandemic once and for all." 

"G20 leaders have the power to accelerate long-promised donations and to commit to breaking the hold that manufacturing countries and pharmaceutical companies currently have over access to the vaccines and how they’re made," it continued.

"We can’t simply hope for the pandemic to end on its own," they said, adding that "cooperation of historic proportion is the only solution" and that "lives literally depend on it."

7:56 a.m. ET, October 30, 2021

Italy has beefed up security for G20 protests

From CNN's Nicola Ruotolo, Chris Liakos and Kara Fox

Protesters at the G20 Summit in Rome, Italy, on Saturday, October 30, 2021.
Protesters at the G20 Summit in Rome, Italy, on Saturday, October 30, 2021. (Andrea Ronchini/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Italian authorities have announced a series of measures to ensure maximum security as protests are expected throughout duration of the G20 Summit.

More than 5,000 police forces will be deployed along with 400 Armed Force units, Italy’s Interior Ministry said.

Traffic for both pedestrians and cars (excluding residents and those with authorized access) will be prohibited around the G20 venue and surrounding areas, it said. The airspace over Rome will also remain closed for the duration of the summit.

Climate change activists blocking the main road leading to the G20 venue were forcibly removed by police earlier on Saturday morning, police told CNN.

Groups from across the social and political spectrum are expected to demonstrate in Rome throughout the weekend, with climate justice and vaccine inequality at the center of many of those protests.

On Friday, activists from charity groups held a flash mob in the Italian capital, calling on leaders of the world's biggest economies to end the widening gap in vaccine inequality.

Italian authorities say they are beefing up security to keep protesters at bay and to keep the peace.

Many demonstrators will still remember the shooting of 23-year-old Italian protester, Carlo Giuliani, who was killed by police during riots that broke out at the G8 summit in Genoa in 2001.

A protester holds a flare in front of the police during a demonstration in Rome during the G20 summit Friday, October 29, 2021.
A protester holds a flare in front of the police during a demonstration in Rome during the G20 summit Friday, October 29, 2021. (Celestino Arce/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

7:13 a.m. ET, October 30, 2021

G20 leaders gather for their 2021 "class" photo

Group photo showing the G20 leaders in attendance.
Group photo showing the G20 leaders in attendance. (Ludovic Marin/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

G20 leaders gathered for a "family" photo on Saturday morning before heading into their first meetings of the day.

It's the first time the group have stood side-by-side since 2019.

Cameras caught US President Joe Biden speaking with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi before the photo was taken, pointing to Erdogan empathically.

No sound was picked up on the camera feed. 

After the initial photo, world leaders were joined by first responders. Biden spent a few moments taking selfies with the first responders. 

WATCH:

This post has been corrected to reflect that Biden was pictured with DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, not South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa.

5:58 a.m. ET, October 30, 2021

US President Joe Biden arrives at the G20

From CNN's Kevin Liptak and Kara Fox

Italy's Prime Minister, Mario Draghi (L) greets US President Joe Biden as he arrives for the G20 of World Leaders Summit on October 30, 2021 at the convention center "La Nuvola" in the EUR district of Rome. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Italy's Prime Minister, Mario Draghi (L) greets US President Joe Biden as he arrives for the G20 of World Leaders Summit on October 30, 2021 at the convention center "La Nuvola" in the EUR district of Rome. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) (Brendan Smialowski/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

US President Joe Biden arrived at the summit on Saturday morning, where he will address supply chain issues and energy prices as well as cementing support for the global minimum tax.

He stepped from his car and walked into the La Nuvola summit site outside central Rome with a wide smile, opening his arms to meet host Mario Draghi of Italy.

The men stood speaking for a moment before posing for a photo.

Biden arrived after a parade of other world leaders made similar entrances.

Biden is set to pose soon for a "family" photo before entering the first plenary session, which is focused on global economic issues.

The Biden administration breathed new life into the global tax initiative earlier this year, which secured the support of G7 countries in June and paved the way for a preliminary deal in July.

The President's trip to Europe comes at a difficult time in his presidency however, with his approval ratings tumbling as Americans grow weary of the economic side-effects of the pandemic.

Biden's trip also comes as Democratic party infighting has led to a stalled vote on a sweeping infrastructure and spending vote this week. The delay on that package has presented a significant setback for Biden's trip, as he had hoped the package, filled with social programs and climate protections investments, would have passed before arriving at the UN Climate Conference in the UK.

The framework includes $555 billion in measures to combat climate change, a package Biden hoped to use as leverage to push other nations to make significant cuts to carbon emissions at the climate summit.

For now, it appears that he'll be showing up to Cop26 in Glasgow empty handed.

7:55 a.m. ET, October 30, 2021

First Covid-19 positive case identified at G20

From CNN's Chris Liakos and Kara Fox

Covid-19 has made it to the G20 summit.

A media worker tested positive for the virus on Friday and is now in isolation, according to Lazio region's health department.

The positive case was caught before the worker was able to enter the media center, thanks to strict Covid-19 protocols, according to the health department statement.

Foreign media representatives are required to show a negative test carried out within 48 hours prior to entering Italy. Local media also must show a negative test every 48 hours to gain access to the summit.

All members of the media must test negative for the virus via a rapid antigen or molecular test every 48 hours, according to official G20 summit guidance.

FFP2 face masks must be worn at all times when inside the media center, according to the guidance. 

Meanwhile, many world leaders arriving to the conference center Saturday were seen exiting their vehicles with masks on, but shortly took them off on the red carpet for a meet and handshake with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.