>> this is dw news, live from berlin. the evening focused on the urgent need to tackle the current climate crisis. leaders, pledging to donate one billion covered vaccine doses to foreign nations. also coming up on the show, has germany's green party run out of steam? the greens were leading the

polls. but with just three months until national elections, they are losing ground. we look at what is going wrong. plus -- ♪ they were actors before they were protesters. now they are in exile. because they had the courage to resist the belarusian regime of alex under lukashenko. -- alexander lukashenko. we are taking a look at the premiere of the berlin film festival. ♪ hello, a very warm welcome to the show. leaders from the world's seven wealthiest countries are meeting for the g7 summit, hosted by british per minister boris johnson. it's being held in cornwall, england, marking the first in person talks in nearly two

years. they are expected to talk about a range of topics, with a focus on the coronavirus pandemic and the climate crisis. reporter: these global leaders are taking center stage this weekend. it is the first time they are all together since the pandemic. introductions are marked by elbow bumps and social distancing. this year's host, boris johnson, initiated the talks with a welcome speech that focused on recovery. >> they want us to be sure that we are beating the pandemic together and discussing how we will never have a repeat of what we have seen, but also that we are building back better together. and building back greener, building back fairer, building back more equal, and in a more gender-neutral and perhaps more feminine way.

reporter: in order to aid global recovery from the pandemic, the leaders are expected to pledge one billion vaccine doses to the world's poorest countries. they say a joint approach is the best way to both rebuild and tackle the climate crisis. >> we need everyone across the world to want to work together. especially on the issue of climate protection and biodiversity, where we will never find solutions without china. reporter: but when it comes to the environment, climate activists are concerned it is all talk. hundreds of protesters gathered in cornwall, calling on leaders to take action. >> so we've got a situation post-covid where developing countries are drowning in debt, failing to get vaccines and the climate finance they need to help them mitigate their emissions and adapt to the climate crisis.

so it's a situation of staggering inequity. and we feel this needs to be brought to the attention of the g7 leaders. reporter: they want to make sure the g7 do not forget the climate crisis, while grappling with the pandemic recovery. the weekend talks will focus on how countries can join forces to confront such challenges. >> i am now joined by our dw correspondant, who is reporting for us from where the g7 is taking place. this may well be the leaders' last chance to make a real difference on climate change. you expect any major commitments from the g7 leaders? >> well, it is definitely something the many campaigners who have descended onto this beautiful part of the world in the southwest corner of the united kingdom, what they are demanding. it comes at a day one the international energy agency has

said oil demand next year is expected to exceed pre-pandemic demand. we know this is an ongoing crisis. one issue that leaders need to discuss is for example the issue of climate finance. so helping developing countries do something to reduce their own emissions, so that's going to cost money. this is something the leaders might have to discuss at the summit. >> the other major point we know is going to be on the table is the coronavirus pandemic, so what about covid vaccine distribution? are you expecting to see any agreements this weekend there? >> we are expecting a senior plan for a donation. however, we also know campaigners are again saying this is not fast enough, and it doesn't go far enough. for example the former prime minister of the u.k. is urging

the leaders to again propose a package. this would include facilities for developing countries, emerging economies to produce their own vaccines, possibly to waive the property rights of patents for vaccines. something that goes much further than simply donating vaccines. >> thank you. we see security is tight for this meeting behind you of world leaders. it was all smiles and their family photo together. but i'm wondering, do you think we will see disagreements when it comes to the actual meetings? >> well, we know the g7 leaders all are united and wanting to make the summit of success. they want to show a democracy is an attractive model for societies that want to show that to the world -- they want to show that to the world. the message they might need to

bring home to their own electorate, they might be quite tough, for example, vaccines, if they are donating vaccines to other countries, that means for example booster shots might not be available for people back home. that might be a tough message. also climate change, it might mean they are having to add people to change their lifestyles. it's really quite a lot, what they are discussing. quite huge problems they're facing. these messages back home might not be so easy. >> thank you so much for your reporting. now let's bring in a dr. to bring into the issues of g7 countries donated those vaccines. the cochair of the african vaccine delivery alliance. a former chief humanitarian coordinator for nigeria. thank you so much for joining us

on the show. the g7 countries are expected to announce a plan to donate around 1 billion vaccine doses to countries struggling to get supplies. how does this measure up to the kind of response you were hoping to see? >> it's not so much the sort of response one is hoping to see as much as it's the need around the rld. they are talking about one billion doses to share. [indiscernible] i don't like the word donate. it's not a gift. this is a global good. you're talking about a billion doses in a world where we need about 10 million doses. -- 10 billion doses, the world needs. it's a great start, but i would encourage them to expand their ambition and also expand their scope. it's not just sharing doses, but sharing technology. waving intellectual property.

also, looking at a global vaccination plan. if you can't have vaccines -- you can't have vaccines without getting them in people's arms. not just for africa, but for the entire world, a vaccination plan, and financing. >> i do want to ask you about that. we lost audio for a moment. i understand that you agree patents should be lifted to enable more countries to produce vaccines at home. what are your thoughts on that? >> i absolutely do. i think patents should be waived. even quite frankly, have we done the right thing -- had we done the right thing at the beginning of this pandemic, there might not be this pressure, if they had allowed countries to produce their own vaccines. if there had it a hoarding of vaccines, we would not be

-- if there had not been a hoarding of vaccin, we would not be in this desperate situation. we are seeing covid ramp up in parts of the world again, india, south africa, we must waive intellectual property rights and we have to also transfer the technology, so that all over the world, asia, latin america, everywhere, africa, people can produce their own vaccines and not be so reliant on 1-3 sources. >> what do you say to critics 2dthat waving the patents removs the incentives for firms to develop them so quickly when we do have a global pandemic? >> i think we are in an existential crisis. your previous speaker in cornwall spoke about the climate crisis, the talks towards climate change. covert and climate change are two sides of the same coin -- covid and climate change are two sides of the same coin.

thousands all over the world are affected. the other is an existential crisis for tomorrow. at a time when this virus is coming back bigger and stronger all e time in different corners of the world, the delta variant identified in india is now again really ramping up in counies like the u.k., causing havoc in india, and we are seeing it also across africa, 14 member states of the african union this we car racing towards a wave -- this week are racing towards a wave. and increase in numbers in africa. -- and an increase in numbers in africa. 32 people in leadership in government. when it to make sure that we have life first before we talk about making profits. >> thank you for giving us a sense of the urgency of this crisis. thank you for joining us on dw news.

let's turn our attention to some of the other stories making headlines at this hour. hundreds of israeli and palestinian activists have demonstrated against the possible eviction of palestinians in eastern jerusalem. neighborhood has been the scene of frequent clashes over a setto have arab families removed from their homes. german finance minister a lush old has reportedly paid 2 million euros to get information on suspected tax daughters -- tax dodgers. is that his ministry saw data on thousands of germans with real estate interest in dubai. the information could expose significant tax crimes. and votes counting has wrapped up in peru's presidential election, but they have not yet declared a winner. the race between the leftist and the conservative is too close to call. they were voting -- there were

voting irregularities, but independent observers dispute this. the united nations and aid groups are warning 350,000 people in ethiopia's were turned region are facing famine conditions. millions more are in urgent need of food and assistance. reporter: he should be an active 14-year-old, but he struggles to breathe. he and his uncle lived in a cave, hiding from the war raging around their home. but without enough food, they were still in danger. by march, he had grown so weak, his uncle brought him to the hospital. >> he used to be very strong. as strong as a lion. he was hoping to grow up and have a good life. but hunger has left him where he is now. reporter: he is an early warning of what the u.n. is now calling a catastrophic food shortage.

it's expected to get worse. >> it's very worrying, that there are indications that we have the worst phase, phase five, affecting 353,000 people. that number is expected rise beyond 400,000 over the next few months, if we don't get the acss that we need to reach those areas. reporter: while the fighting has eased, some parts remain cut off. mass displacement across the region has left more than one million homeless and hungry. without more aid, this humanitarian crisis can only get worse. hidden from the rest of the world. >> here in berlin, members of germany's greens have opened their three day party conference. they formerly endorsed a

candidate for chancellor, after a recent poll showed a drop in popularity for the environmentalist party. the greens had made major gains after their nomination back in april. several blunders by some members have set the party back in its quest to provide a successor to the outgoing conservative chancellor, angela merkel. let's get straight over to dw's chief political editor. she joins us now from the party conference of the green party in berlin. a considerable drop in popularity for the green party. what went wrong? >> well, they had some small scandals surrounding christmas bonuses that were not reported to parliament. also this evening, you have a correction, where she had to apologize. this follows a rather tremendous starts, there was a no drama

launch of her role as the chancellor candidate. now, only a few weeks later, we have seen a sharp drop, both in the polling, down 6%, with the conservative cdu union now once again in position ahead of the september election, and she lost a whopping 15 points in popularity. it will be over the next 48 hours. >> there's still a fair a bit of time before the national elections of the september. do you think the green party can bounce back from this? >> well, that is the looming question here. for months is a very long time and politics. we have learned that over the past weeks as well. i would say so far, so good. there were some rebels within the party that wanted a gnarly or exit for the combustion

engine here -- an earlier exit for the combustion engine here. that was struck down by the delegates who voted. they see so far, the delegates are towing the leadership line. that is exactly what the greens seek to demonstrate now. a picture of unity that they can unify behind her, and that they have this absolute will to power, to eventually potentially come on top. having said that, it was also the weakness of angela merkel's conservative blood that made the greens are so strong in those last weeks -- conservative block that made the greens so strong in those last weeks. we will see who gets to succeed angela merkel. >> dw's chief political editor reporting for us from the party conference for the greens. thank you so much.

this is the first time the greens have ever made a bid for germany's top political post. it shows just how far they've come, from protest party, to a force to be reckoned with. dw reports on the green party's evolution. reporter: they are both members of germany's green party, which has come along way since it was founded in 1980. >> we saw ourselves as the party for decracy and environmental protection. both of tse played an important re. and above all, we were disappointed by the whole party politics. we were of course an outsider. we fought against the establishment. when we were founded, we had gender parity. man and woman on the candidate list. later we were a parliamentary party that was half man and half woman. at the time, it was unthinkable. reporter: in 1983, the first green mps were voted into the blunder stuck -- the blunder stuck -- were voted in.

they cost a scandal by will wearing sneakers to that -- by wearing sneakers to the first meeting. he was elected in 1989. >> long hair come along beard, it was completely out of the question to sit at the table with one of the conservatives. reporter: in 1998, the greens became the junior coalition -- and the federal government. the party split. at the 99 and in party conference, fisher was paint bombed. he had betrayed the greens' core nonviolent principles. one of the biggest victories was the coalition's decision to phase out's -- the coalition's decision to phase out nuclear energy.

they got a boost in the polls when the movement first to the streets in 2019. >> the fact that issues like climate protection and feminism have become more of a focus is for the large part thanks to the younger generation. reporter: since 2018, they have started to heal many of the wounds in the party we to the realist and fundamentalist wings. now the greens are part of a regional coalition government in 11 of germany's 16 states. >> i would also say the fact that the greens had these wild years in the early days is important for the greens today. the fact they have this history. reporter: after september's election, they will be -- there will be a new chapter to that history. perhaps even in the chancellory. >> you are watching dw news. still to come, harnessing a

rat's powerful sense of smell for a lifesaving task in cambodia. ♪ stay tuned for that. as a european union and the u.s. discussed further sanctions against the government of belarus, a new documentary looks at the peaceful resistance to alexander lukashenko's regime. the film premieres this evening at the berlin film festival in the presence of exiled opposition leader, svetlana. it is called simply courage -- simply "courage." reporter: scenes and belarus last summer caught in the documentary "courage." today they look like images from another era. the film follows three actors turned protesters. last summer, they were full of hope forhange. now, all three live in exile.

>> ty decided to leave belarus because it was not possible to walk and live in this fear. they decided to move to kiev. right now, all of them are in exile in kyiv. -- in kiev. reporter: after their participation and band demonstrations against alexander lukashenko, both were arrested and detained for 15 days at a prison in minsk. here is where families gather to find out the fate of their loved ones. arrested or disappeared by the regime. as soon as they were released, they left the country. she was the last ago. -- the last to go. ♪ >> even before the crackdowns, the actors were banned from

performing. making art and side belarus simpson possible at the moment. -- seems impossible at the moment. but they believe the country needs artists now more than ever. >> to try to help people to overcome their fear, overcome their trauma. depression, trauma. to say, please do not lose hope. >> the exiled belarus and opposition leader was also at the premiere of the documentary. when asked how she felt about the support she has received from the people of belarus, she had this to say. >> at the moment, i'm in exile. in another country. though i really don't feel that i am in exile, because i am only a few meters from the border and i have everyday communication with people on the ground, with students, with workers, medics. sportsmen.

-- medics, sportsmen. we coordinate each other. those inside no better how to act. our evolution is horizontal, i would say. people demand what to do, how to act. i feel the inspiration. >> now, not everyone is a fan of rats, but in cambodia, their powerful sense of smell is helping to save lives. an army of rats are being deployed to sniff out landmines left over from cambodia's civil war. large parts of the countryside are still littered with explosives. curious children are often among the victims. reporter: meet the latest

recruits in the mission against landmines. these giant pouched rats have traveled a long way, from tanzania, where they were trained, to cambodia, where they are getting to work. clearing landmines is dangerous and arduous. it takes humans several days to complete. but a rat can do it in a matter of minutes. >> before we work with the rats -- worked with the rats, we didn't know how important the job was. once i worked with them, i realized they are wonderful animals because of their sense of smell, which surpasses that of humans. they give us 100% accurate results from every performance. reporter: huge sways of explosive riddled lands remain off-limits in cambodia. now, this patch can be put to use by farmers thanks to the rats, trained to scratch the ground when they smell its

plosives. like this hidden menace, waiting to kill or maim. some of the rodents have found fame. this one is an award-winning hero. the rats has detected over 100 landmines and bombs, now retired into -- now retreated into a retirement home. >> the only difference is that he is resting a lot. >> even off the job, he still keeps busy using his nose. >> i would say that rat deserves that treat for a job very well done. just before we go, let's get a quick reminder of our top story. world leaders have kicked off a g-7 summit in cornwall, england. fighting the pandemic and climate change are the main topics of the three-day meeting. they have already pledged to

provide one billion doses of covid-19 vaccines to poorer countries. the move aims to address criticism at wealthy nations -- that wealthy nations have secured the vast majority of doses for their own populations. you are watching dw news, live from berlin. coming up after a short break, i will take you through "the day." i will be back with more headlines at the top of the hour. if that's not enough, you can check out our website, dw.com or our social media, @dwnews. thanks so much for joining us. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

■x?x■x■x■ñ■o

>> your needs are changing, and so is france24.com. intuitive, fast, and available in 4 languages. france24.com. >> it is 10:00 p.m. here in the french capital. our top stories this hour -- the g7 summit opens with world leaders expected