product] to almost 14% over the last three decades … The super-rich pay proportionally much less tax than the working classes. To correct this anomaly, Brazil has insisted on international cooperation to develop minimum global tax standards, strengthening existing initiatives and including billionaires. Alongside the African Union, which is participating for the first time as a full member of the G20, we have been warning about the debt problem. Today we see an absurd net transfer of resources from the poorest countries to the richest. Collective well-being cannot be financed if a significant part of the budget is consumed by debt servicing. Hunger and climate change are two scourges that are mutually aggravating. The existence of those who are hungry is trapped in the pain of the present. They become incapable of thinking about tomorrow. Reducing socio-economic vulnerabilities paves the way for a just transition, builds resilience in the face of extreme events and strengthens efforts against global warming. Planetary energy transition and decarbonization are opportunities in this fight against hunger. The motto of Brazil’s G20 presidency – “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet” – seems unattainable, but today we are taking a decisive step towards its fulfillment. Hunger and poverty inhibit the full exercise of citizenship and weaken democracy itself. Eradicating them is equivalent to real political emancipation for millions of people. As long as there are families without food on the table, children on the streets and young people without hope, there will be no peace. A just world is a world in which people have unimpeded access to food, health, housing, education and decent jobs. These conditions are essential to building prosperous, free, democratic and sovereign societies. … It is unacceptable that, halfway through the 21st century, while already discussing ... artificial intelligence (before being able to use the natural intelligence that we all have), we are still obliged to discuss this, saying to our political leaders around the world: “Please look at the poor, because they are human beings. They are people and they want to have opportunities.” Launch of the Task Force for a Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, 24 July 2024
development priorities and climate action. The UN and its Secretary-General must once again occupy a central role in the discussions about economic and financial issues of global relevance. When the IMF [International Monetary Fund] and the World Bank were created, their executive boards had 12 seats for a universe of 44 countries. Today, there are 25 seats for over 193 countries. If the original proportions had been kept, these boards should now have at least 52 seats. This logic of exclusion is reproduced [at] several levels. In the green funds, forested and megadiverse countries are forced to share seats while wealthy countries occupy exclusive seats. The second pillar is rethinking the international trade system … The WTO [World Trade Organization] is currently paralyzed due to geopolitical and economic interests. Reversing the new drive towards protectionism, which disproportionately impairs the developing countries, is key to ensuring more equitable trade … The third is promoting a comprehensive reform of the UN … The General Assembly is the UN’s most democratic level. In it, each State, regardless of the size of its population or its economy, has the right to express its voice. We must also strengthen other bodies, such as the Economic and Social Council. The ECOSOC must occupy its place at the forefront of the promotion of sustainable development. It must fulfill a more active role in monitoring the goals of the 2030 Agenda and beyond, and of the climate commitments. In its current configuration, the Security Council has proven incapable of solving conflicts, and even less capable of preventing them. Its procedures lack transparency. Its decisions lack coherence. Millions of people suffer the consequences of this inefficiency. With more representativeness, especially from Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, we will stand more chances to overcome the polarization that paralyzes the council. So that is why Brazil considers [presenting] a proposal to call for a conference to review the UN Charter. G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, 25 September 2024 The Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty … will be the most important
legacy of Brazil’s G20 presidency. Its goal is to give renewed impetus to existing initiatives by aligning efforts at the domestic and international levels. We want to get the Sustainable Development Goals back on track. In 2008, the G20 was crucial to preventing the collapse of the global economy. Now, world leaders are faced with the opportunity to respond to this other systemic challenge … The distorted representation at the helm of the IMF and the World Bank is an obstacle to tackling today’s complex problems. Without more effective and fairer governance, in which the Global South is adequately represented, problems such as hunger and poverty will be recurrent. This is another priority of our G20 presidency. Dealing with inequality will also be part of this effort. The wealth of billionaires has risen from 4% of the world’s GDP [gross domestic
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globalgovernanceproject.org
2024 — G20 BRAZIL: THE RIO SUMMIT
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