23 Sep 2024
MINISTER’S OPENING REMARKS
Thank you, Burhan, and a very good morning to all of you coming here especially bright and early. We’ve just had the Summit of the Future that was launched by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. On Wednesday, you’re chairing the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and I thank Mauro for joining us today to give us a state preview to what is on his agenda.
2 If you look around the world everywhere, there is fragmentation both within and between countries. We’ve watched the erosion of political trust, greater polarisation, and we are also witnessing more unstable, volatile, and a destructive zero-sum game approach of the competition between superpowers. Meanwhile, the gap between the Global North and South continues to widen and multiple crises all over the world continue to unfold and in fact, overlap. Sometimes, you get a perfect storm building up. So, we believe that global governance institutions that were first set up in the aftermath of the second world war to promote cooperation and development are no longer fit for purpose, and instead of leaving no one behind, we risk leaving the Sustainable Development Goals behind.
3 We hope this will be a week in which there will be opportunities for candid discussions on how to address these challenges and in this context, we want to welcome Brazil’s Call to Action on Global Governance Reform, which will complement the UN’s existing work.
4 The first step to ensuring more effective global governance is to ensure that decision-making reflects the diversity of membership of the UN. The strength of such inclusivity is twofold: first, consideration of fresh perspectives, especially those whose voices are vital but often underrepresented, unrepresented, and accordingly, gives global governance greater legitimacy.
5 Second, we need strong political will which is essential for us to overcome our differences in order to build a better future. We need to translate ambition into action and develop an enduring compact for the future, especially with those we may disagree with.
6 The Brazilian G20 Presidency has also rightly put into centre-focus, the climate crisis. The UN has assessed that the world has till the end of this decade to prevent a climate catastrophe, which would disproportionately affect the most vulnerable amongst us.
7 The G20, which accounts for seventy-five percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, can be a catalyst to the implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. We welcome Brazil’s establishment of the G20 Task Force for Global Mobilisation Against Climate Change, which seeks to support the collective transition to a climate-resilient future for everyone.
8 Finally, more needs to be done to eradicate poverty and hunger. They have no place in today’s world. So, we welcome Brazil’s creation of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, which seeks to enable resource mobilisation, innovation, and international support towards this end.
9 Brazil has aptly chosen as its theme “Building A Just World and A Sustainable Planet”. It underscores the urgency to mitigate inequalities and to bequeath a lasting legacy to our future generations.
10 On our part, the Global Governance Group or 3G for short, remains committed to fostering a transparent, inclusive, and effective global governance framework, by connecting the G20 and the wider UN membership, and this is why we hold this annual meeting on the sidelines of the UNGA.
11 We welcome the G20’s inclusive approach of Brazil, through its active engagement of the 3G, and the consideration of the views of non-G20 members, and we also look forward to working with the incoming South African Presidency next year, whom I am very glad is here. We look forward to hearing from you as well. So, on that note, may I invite Minister Vieira to share the work of the programme of the G20.
. . . . .