The President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, opened, on the morning of this Monday (18), the G20 summit, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian said he hoped the meeting would be marked “by the courage to act.”
During the opening of the summit, the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty was launched, a Brazilian government initiative that seeks to accelerate global efforts to eradicate these problems.
Even before launch, 81 countries joined the initiativeincluding 18 of the 19 nations that make up the G20. The exception was Argentina. European Union and African Union, the other two members of the group, also joined.
In addition to countries and unions of nations, 64 international organizations have joined the commitment.
According to Lula, the Alliance was born in the G20 but its destiny is global. “We have placed as a central objective of the Brazilian presidency at the G20 the launch of a Globsl Alliance against Hunger and Poverty. This will be our greatest legacy. It is not just about doing justice. This is an essential condition for building more prosperous societies and a world of peace.”
The Brazilian president stated that, with the Alliance, “we will articulate international recommendations, effective public policies and sources of financing”, said Lula.
In your speechLula also highlighted that hunger and poverty are not the result of scarcity or natural phenomena, but “the product of political decisions that perpetuate the exclusion of a large part of humanity.”
The president highlighted concern about the increase in international conflicts and humanitarian crises. Lula cited extreme weather phenomena, social, racial and gender inequalities and the consequences of the covid-19 pandemic, which claimed more than 15 million lives.
“I was at the first meeting of G20 leaders, called in Washington in the context of the 2008 financial crisis. Sixteen years later, I note with sadness that the world is worse off.”
