Starting this Monday (18), the eyes of the world will be on Rio de Janeiro. The G20 Leaders’ Summit (group of the 19 largest economies on the planet, plus the European Union and the African Union) begins, where Brazil will hand over the group’s presidency to South Africa.
In total, 19 heads of State and Government are in the city to debate a document that reaches a consensus between the three axes that marked the Brazilian presidency of the G20 over the course of a year. The only absence will be that of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will be represented by the country’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The first axis of the Brazilian presidency at the G20 is the combating hunger, poverty and inequality. The second is the sustainable developmenttackling climate change and the energy transition. The third axis is the global governance reform to resolve conflicts.
In the economic area, the main Brazilian flag is the global taxation of the super richwhich would help finance the fight against inequality and combat climate change. Based on the ideas of French economist Gabriel Zucman, the proposal foresees a minimum tax of 2% on the income of the world’s billionaires, which would raise between US$200 billion and US$250 billion annually and divides countries.
Despite being supported by several nations, the idea faces resistance from some developed countries, including the United States and Germany, and also from Argentina. Among the supporting countries are France, Spain, Colombia, Belgium and South Africa, which will assume the rotating presidency of the bloc after Brazil. The African Union has expressed support since presenting the proposal in February.
From Thursday (14) to Saturday (16), the Brazilian presidency of the G20 collected contributions from civil society during the G20 Social. Initiative created by Brazil that brought together social organizations, academics and entities that drafted a document to be attached to the final communiqué of the summit meeting.
The President of Brazil, Luís Inácio Lula da Silva during the delivery of the final document of the G20 Social summit, on Boulevard Olímpico in the port area of the capital of Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil
Schedule
On the first day of the summit meeting, the leaders are expected to be welcomed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and First Lady Janja Lula da Silva, and the launch of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty. In the afternoon, there will be a session on global governance reform. In the evening, Lula and Janja will give an official dinner to the presidents and prime ministers.
On Tuesday (19), the program begins with a session on sustainable development and energy transitions, in the morning. In the afternoon, there will be the closing session and the transmission of the G20 presidency to South Africa. After the ceremony, there will be an official lunch, followed by a series of bilateral meetings between the heads of State and Government.
The two days of debates will take place at the Museum of Modern Art (MAM) in Rio de Janeiro, at Aterro do Flamengo. Under a strong security scheme, part of the city will be closed to pedestrians and vehicles.
Security forces reinforce policing in Rio during the G20. Photo: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil
Check out the scheduled schedule for the G20 Summit
November 18th (Monday)
- 08:40 – Greetings to the G20 leaders
- 10am – Launch of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty and 1st Session of the G20 Leaders’ Meeting: Fighting Hunger and Poverty
- 2:30 pm – 2nd Session of the G20 Leaders’ Meeting: Reform of Global Governance Institutions
November 19th (Tuesday)
- 10am – 3rd Session of the G20 Leaders Meeting: Sustainable Development and Energy Transition
- 12:30 p.m. – Closing session of the G20 Leaders Summit and transmission ceremony of the G20 presidency from Brazil to South Africa
