RIO DE JANEIRO
Many good intentions and goals have been approved by the Group of 20 (G20), countries with prominent industrialized and emerging economies, at their two-day summit in Rio de janeiro, which closed on Tuesday the 19th the challenge will be to implement them with the unacceptable political and financial means available.
Brazil, especially its president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, can celebrate the success of his annual presidency of the group, by achieving the approval of the G20 Leaders’ Declaration on Rio de Janeiro by the consensus of all the leaders of the 19 country and the European Union, which is the initial G20 and which the African Union will join in 2023.
In addition, his main proposal, the Global Alliance against Hunger and poverty, was born with a lot of relentless projects and a brazilian brand in international cooperation. Even Argentina’s far-right president, Javier Milei, joined the initiative, after threatening dissent, raising its founding countries to 82.
Spain also participated in the Rio summit, as a permanent guest of the bloc as 2008, and Lula invited others this year within the Latin American region, such as the leaders of Bolivia, chile or Colombia, and also some international organizations.
The World Alliance prevented the summit from falling into disagreements about the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, Francisco Menezes, former president of Brazil’s National Council for Food Security and Nutrition (Consea) from 2004 to 2007, considered.
The Leaders’ Declaration, of 85 points on 24 pages, omitted the role played by Russia and Israel in those wars, limiting itself generically to denying “the use of force to seek territorial acquisition” and lamenting the “catastrophic humanitarian situation”.Gaza and the attacks on Lebanon, as well as defending the rights of the Palestinians to their State.
The Alliance against Hunger should start its activities in the middle of 2025, with its Support Mechanism installed at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Association of the United Nations (FAO), in Rome. Brazil will take care of half of its costs.
The Inter-American Development Bank announced a contribution of 25 billion dollars in soft loans, almost nothing for the announced goal of ending world hunger by 2030, when it currently affects 733 million people.
To that end, it was estimated that it should benefit 500 million people in income transfer programs by 2030 and 150 million school-fed children in countries with a high incidence of child hunger.
“The alliance is considering engineering the exchange of successful public policies, of which Brazil has many examples, which can serve other countries, if adapted to their specificities,” and also focusing resources on the most vulnerable people, Menezes analyzed IPS.
The Bolsa-familia income transfer program, the national school feeding program and the program of obtaining food from family farming to provide vulnerable communities and philanthropic institutions, are part of these Brazilian policies, for example Mariana Albuquerque, a specialist at the Center for International Relations of Brazil (Cebri).).
Billionaire goals
Some of the goals were to triple the installed capacity of renewable energy, increase the production of vaccines and medicines, adapt cities to extreme climate phenomena, end plastic pollution, give an appropriate destination to waste and universal clean kitchens at the G20 summit in Rio to require large investments.
The city-only forum,Urban 20 (U20),which is part of the G20 discussion process,has set the amount needed to address the global climate crisis at 800 billion dollars per year until 2030.
More than 100 cities were represented at the meeting, which dealt with various urban issues, such as flooding, the energy transition including transport, green jobs, food and culture, as well as the invasion of the seas and urban destruction due to wars. .
One demand is to speed up direct funding to local governments, avoiding delays due to procedures through national governments.
Although it has a life of its own, Urban 20 was integrated with the Social Summit that Brazil established for the first time as a parallel activity to the summit of leaders and held between the 14th and the 17th, after more than 150 to have a meeting with us. of the past year at all levels and all sectors of civil society.
Among all initiatives, so-called climate finance requires the most resources. So far, the agreement within the annual Conferences of the Parties (COP) for developed countries to contribute 100 billion dollars per year that they promised to contribute to mitigating and adapting to the climate crisis in the countries of the South has not been fulfilled.
And already in the current COP29
The G20 in Brazil reiterated the statement from the previous summit,held in India,on “the need to rapidly and substantially increase climate finance from billions to trillions from all sources.” And it allowed the creation of the Forever Tropical Forest Fund (TFFF in English) to protect biomes such as the Amazon.
The reform of the international financial architecture, one of the priorities of the G20, is necessary even to face climate challenges and growing poverty, and the Declaration of the Leaders in Rio de Janeiro is maintained.
The taxation of the rich, proposed by a meeting of finance ministers in July and approved at the summit, opens a promising horizon among so many unfulfilled demands, highlighted Menezes, who is currently a policy analyst for the international organization Action Aid, in Brazil.
The summit only stated that the G20 will “cooperate to ensure that ultra-high net worth individuals are appropriately taxed,” while respecting national sovereignty.This is the initial push for a process that will require a lot of negotiation.
But the idea, discussed by the ministers, is based on a study by the French economist Gabriel Zucman, that a 2% tax on the wealth of those with assets over a trillion dollars, 3,000 in the world, would increase 250,000 million dollars per year.
Extending taxation to those with more than $100 million would add another $140 billion.
“It is difficult to bring it to fruition,” according to Albuquerque, because it depends on national regulations and respect for national sovereignty, imposed in the declaration by opposing countries, shows obstacles.
Despite their disagreements, the president of Argentina agreed to sign the declaration, after expressing his reservations in the speeches.
It appeared to be a preview of the obstacles the G20 will face when Donald Trump returns to the presidency of the United States on January 20. In 2026 it will be his turn to lead the G20, after South Africa does so next year.
The G20 will lose relevance if it is indeed divided, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned in a joint interview at the start of the summit.
Ther is no such risk, Albuquerque argued against IPS, because the group also performs technical functions, it is essential to agree on global financial issues, to prevent crises, even because that was born, in 1999, after the Asian crisis, and its consolidation in 2008, when the American real estate collapse affected the whole world, when the rulers of the bloc began to dominate it with their annual summits.
“Any global change requires the support of the group,since the members account for 85% of the world’s gross product. Their agreements are transferred to other forums,” argued Cebri specialist and professor at the Federal University of rio de Janeiro.
It is an “agile and flexible forum, without a fixed secretariat, which allows independence and the power to set the agenda for the country in charge of its presidency,” he said. This was evident in the Brazilian presidency,which introduced the social dimension that did not exist before,as it was limited to economics and politics.
The full members of the G20 are Germany, Saudi arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, the United States, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan , mexico, Russia, United Kingdom, South Africa and Turkey. Consequently it is very diverse and difficult to impose its positions on one country.
By Mario Osava – Interpress Service (IPS)
How might Brazil’s financial commitment to the global Alliance against Hunger influence other nations’ contributions?
Time.news Interview: G20 Summit Insights with francisco Menezes
Editor: Welcome, Francisco! Thank you for joining us today to discuss the recent G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.As a former president of Brazil’s National Council for Food Security and Nutrition, your expertise is invaluable. Let’s dive right in. The summit concluded with many ambitious goals set forth in the Leaders’ Declaration. How notable do you think these goals are for international cooperation?
Menezes: Thank you for having me! The importance of the goals is profound, especially the establishment of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty. With 733 million people currently affected by hunger, the commitment to address this issue is not just symbolic; it’s a necessity. The participation of countries, even those with differing political views like Argentina under President Milei, shows a united front against a grave global challenge.
Editor: That’s a great point. When it comes to implementation, however, there appears to be a gap between intention and reality. What challenges do you foresee in the practical execution of these initiatives?
Menezes: Implementing these initiatives will certainly require overcoming various political and financial hurdles. While the declaration includes broad goals, the lack of concrete political will and sufficient funding remains a barrier. For instance, the Inter-American Development Bank’s commitment of $25 billion may seem substantial, but it falls short of the estimated needs to end world hunger by 2030.
Editor: Speaking of funding, the Global Alliance plans to begin operations in 2025, with Brazil covering half the costs. Do you think that Brazil’s commitment will encourage other nations to step up?
Menezes: Brazil’s leadership could set a precedent for collective duty. By demonstrating commitment through financial backing, we might encourage other nations to contribute not just in funds, but also in sharing prosperous public policies, like our Bolsa Família program, tailored to their specific needs. It’s all about creating a collaborative surroundings.
Editor: You mentioned how the declaration managed to avoid diving into contentious geopolitical issues like the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Was this a strategic omission, and how might it effect global discourse?
Menezes: It definitely seems strategic. By focusing on hunger and poverty, the G20 could sidestep heated debates and keep the summit productive. However,this avoidance might lead to criticism regarding the consortium’s relevance in today’s geopolitical climate. Balancing these discussions with urgent humanitarian issues is a tightrope walk.
Editor: The Urban 20 forum also generated dialog around climate financing, estimating a need of $800 billion per year until 2030. What are your thoughts on the financial commitments from developed nations,especially their failure to meet previous commitments?
Menezes: That’s a critical issue.The unfulfilled promise of $100 billion per year from developed nations highlights a significant trust gap between the Global North and South. Climate change is an existential threat, and without serious financial commitments, discussions will remain just that—talk.
Editor: As we look ahead to the activities of the Global Alliance against Hunger, do you believe that the proposed engineering of successful public policies can be effectively shared across nations?
Menezes: Absolutely! Policy exchange can be incredibly powerful. Brazil’s experiences with social security and nutrition programs provide invaluable lessons. The goal is to adapt these frameworks to other countries, addressing unique challenges while leveraging proven strategies.
Editor: as the summit wrapped up,what was the overall sentiment you observed regarding the future of international cooperation?
Menezes: The sentiment was one of cautious optimism. Despite the challenges, there was a palpable energy to tackle pressing global issues together. While the road ahead is fraught with difficulties, the will to address them collaboratively exists. It’s a matter of turning those discussions into tangible actions.
Editor: Thank you, Francisco.Your insights into the G20 summit and the implications for global cooperation are truly enlightening. We appreciate your time today!
Menezes: Thank you for having me! It’s been a pleasure discussing these vital issues.