The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silvainaugurated this Monday the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, positioning the fight against hunger and poverty as the central axis of the forum amid tensions over a possible escalation of the war in Ukraine.
During his speech, Lula presented the Global Alliance against Hunger and Povertydefined as the main legacy of the Brazilian presidency of the G20, and urged the world leaders to adopt concrete measures against growing social and economic inequalities.
“Time is running out to achieve the goals of sustainable development”warned the president at the beginning of the summit, which is being held in a context of acute geopolitical tensions and global social challenges. Lula took advantage of the occasion to highlight that, although the world produces nearly 6 billion tons of food per year, 733 million people still suffer from malnutritiona figure that exceeds the combined population of Brazil, Mexico, Germany, United Kingdom, South Africa y Canada.
“This is unacceptable on a planet that has the resources to feed everyone”, he stated, emphasizing that hunger is not a problem of scarcity, but a consequence of “political decisions that perpetuate social exclusion”. Lula also criticized global military spending, which amounts to $2.4 trillion annually, calling it an inefficient use of resources that could be used to improve the quality of life of millions of people.
In his speech, Lula highlighted the importance of the G20, which represents 85% of global GDP and 75% of world trade, to lead the fight against inequalities. “It is up to those of us here to put an end to this sore that shames humanity.“, he stated, highlighting that the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty already has the support of 81 countries, 28 international organizations, 9 financial institutions and 31 philanthropic foundations.
However, the path towards a consensus is not without challenges. Experts and diplomats present at the summit noted that global tensions, including wars in Ukraine y Middle Easthave complicated the possibility of reaching a meaningful joint declaration. Countries like Argentina They expressed objections to key proposals, such as a global tax on the super-rich and the promotion of gender equality. Even so, President Milei decided at the last minute to sign the document with which the event is expected to close this Tuesday.
The main Brazilian negotiator at the G20, the ambassador Mauricio Lyrioexpressed that the main focus of the summit is to launch concrete actions, such as the aforementioned alliance against hunger, while negotiations continue to reach acceptable language in the final declaration.
Amid tensions over conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, Lula defended his decision not to focus the summit agenda on wars. “I have decided not to bring war to the G20 because, if not, we would not discuss other important things for the people who are not at war, the invisible people of the world,” he said in an interview prior to the start of the summit with Globonews.
However, Lula advocated peace on all open fronts and recalled that the planet faces more armed conflicts simultaneously than at any other time since 1945. “We want to send a clear message: we want peace in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Ukraine. We want to end all wars”, he stated.
The summit was attended by key leaders, such as the president of USA, Joe Bidenand the prime minister of India, Narendra Modiwhile the Russian president Vladimir Putin was the big absentee due to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
The international context is even more complicated after the recent victory of Donald Trump in the United States presidential elections, generating uncertainty about the future of multilateralism. “If one thing is clear, it is Trump’s skepticism towards international agreements“, he pointed out to the AP the teacher Cristiane Lucena Carneirofrom the University of São Paulo.
Lula sought to balance his stance as a mediator in a multipolar world, but his initiatives, such as a peace plan with China for Ukraine, they have generated controversy. Additionally, recent stock comparisons Israel in Gaza with the Holocaust have caused diplomatic tensions.
Lula described Rio de Janeiroheadquarters of the summit, as a microcosm of the deep contradictions of the world: a vibrant and diverse city, but marked by inequality and social injustices. This duality, he noted, is representative not only of Brazil, but of Latin America and the world in general, where wealth and poverty coexist in an extreme way.
The president recalled the progress made during his previous mandates (2003-2010), when policies such as the National School Feeding Program and support for family farming managed to get Brazil out of FAO Hunger Map in 2014. However, he regretted that the country would appear on that list again in 2022 due to the dismantling of social programs.
Since his return to power in 2023, Lula assured that 24 million Brazilians have escaped extreme poverty in the last yearthanks to the implementation of renewed social policies. The president reiterated his commitment to continue with these initiatives until 2026, with the aim of guaranteeing a fair redistribution of resources and the eradication of hunger in the country.
Closing his speech, Lula reiterated that the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, although conceived in the G20, has a vision of global impact. “May this summit be remembered for the courage to act“, he concluded, reaffirming Brazil’s intention to lead a movement towards a more fair, sustainable and inclusive development.
Watch the full speech of the president of Brazil by clicking here.
