By AFP
November 18, 2024
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who grew up in poverty, is championing an anti-hunger alliance - Copyright AFP Ludovic MARIN
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva opened a G20 summit in Rio by launching an alliance to curb world hunger, which he called a “scourge that shames humanity.”
The Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty marks an early summit success for left-wing Lula, with a total of 81 countries signing on to it.
Argentina was the only one of the 19 countries in the G20 not to sign on to the initiative.
Its participation was still “under negotiation,” a Brazilian government source said.
The charity Oxfam said the global alliance “could be a turning point in the battle against hunger and extreme poverty” but urged the initiative to go further by instituting changes in agriculture, supporting land rights and confronting “the weaponization of hunger.”
The decision not to join by Argentina — led by right-wing President Javier Milei, a big fan of Donald Trump — deepened a political gap with neighboring Brazil.
Milei has imposed radical austerity measures in Argentina to bring down high inflation.
The policies sent the poverty rate in the country soaring to 52.9 percent in the first half of this year, 11 percentage points higher than in the previous six-month period.
Milei was the first world leader to see Trump after the Republican’s win in the US presidential election. He attended a gala at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Florida estate last Thursday.
The Argentine leader has several times labeled Lula a “communist” and “corrupt.”
The Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty also has the support of international organizations such as the European Union and the African Union — both G20 members — as well as financial institutions and NGOs, bringing the total number of signatories to 147.
The initiative’s goal is ambitious: to reduce world hunger which affected 733 million people last year — nine percent of the global population — according to the UN.
For Lula, who grew up in poverty before becoming a steelworker, a trade unionist and eventually president of Latin America’s biggest economy, the initiative is dear to the heart.
At a national level, his leftwing policies have already lifted millions of Brazilians out of poverty.
– ‘Political will’ –
The global alliance on hunger is an effort to widen that push by putting international financing behind it, and replicating successful national programs in other countries.
“Eradicating hunger and poverty is not so hard, and the cost is not exorbitant,” Wellington Dias, Brazil’s minister for social development, said in a statement announcing the alliance.
“It’s just a question of political will.”
Negotiations on the initiative had gone on for months, with concrete commitments already made.
The Inter-American Development Bank on Friday announced a $25 billion contribution to programs fighting hunger and poverty over the next five years.
The alliance especially aims for improved nutrition for early childhood, free school canteens and supporting small farms. The goal is to improve food access and quality for 150 million children by the end of the decade.
Nigeria, which already has the biggest school meals program in Africa, has vowed to double the number of children benefiting from it to 20 million.
Indonesia, from January 2025, will start a new program of free canteens, with the aim of reaching 78 million school children in 2029.
Five takeaways from the G20 summit in Rio
By AFP
November 18, 2024
One of the issues dearest to President Lula was forging a global alliance against hunger - Copyright AFP Mauro PIMENTEL
G20 leaders met in Rio de Janeiro on Monday for talks on climate change, ongoing wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon, and more, at a forum that highlighted differences between world powers but also delivered some successes.
Here are five key takeaways from the summit:
– No climate breakthrough –
Hopes were high that G20 leaders would jumpstart stalled UN climate talks taking place in Azerbaijan.
In their final declaration, however, they merely recognized the need for “substantially scaling up climate finance from billions to trillions from all sources.”
Crucially, they did not say who would provide the trillions.
They also did not reiterate a commitment made at the COP28 climate talks in Dubai last year for a “just, orderly, and equitable transition” away from fossil fuels.
“They haven’t stepped up to the challenge,” Mick Sheldrick, co-founder of the Global Citizen campaign group said.
– Ukraine war –
The war in Ukraine dominated discussions at the G20, a day after the United States gave Kyiv the green light to strike Russian territory with American-supplied long-range missiles.
Russia vowed a “response” if hit.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who together with Brazil has been pushing for Kyiv to enter peace talks with Russia, urged the G20 to help “cool” the war.
In their final statement, G20 leaders said they welcomed “all relevant and constructive initiatives that support a comprehensive, just, and durable peace” in Ukraine.
While condemning, as at last year’s G20 summit, the “threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition,” they made no mention of Russian aggression.
– Lebanon, Gaza ceasefire calls –
The leaders of the G20 — which mixes steadfast Israel allies such as the United States and Argentina with countries like Turkey that are more supportive of Palestinians — called for “comprehensive” ceasefires in both Gaza and Lebanon.
They said the Gaza ceasefire should be in line with a US-proposed UN resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in the territory in return for the release of all hostages by Hamas.
It also called for a Lebanon ceasefire “that enables citizens to return safely to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line” that separates Lebanese and Israeli armed forces.
– Tax the super-rich –
The G20 endorsed the idea of cooperating to make sure “ultra-high-net-worth individuals are effectively taxed,” delivering a victory to summit host Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
It said though that such cooperation should be “with full respect to tax sovereignty” and involve “debates around tax principles” as well as coming up with anti-avoidance mechanisms.
An economist specializing in inequalities who was tapped by the Brazilian G20 presidency to write a report on the issue, Gabriel Zucman, hailed the “historic decision.”
– Alliance against hunger –
One of the issues dearest to President Lula was forging a global alliance against hunger, and he received an early success by launching that initiative at the start of the summit, getting 82 countries to sign on.
The alliance aims to unite international efforts to provide financing in the campaign against hunger, and to replicate programs that have proved successful in some countries.
The goal is to reach half a billion people by the end of the decade, reducing what Lula — who grew up in poverty — has called a preventable “scourge that shames humanity.”
China’s Xi urges G20 to help ‘cool’ Ukraine crisis
By AFP
November 18, 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged leaders to help 'cool the Ukraine crisis and seek a political solution' - Copyright AFP Mauro PIMENTEL
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged G20 leaders Monday to support efforts to de-escalate the war in Ukraine and reach a “political solution,” state media reported.
His remarks at the G20 summit in Brazil come shortly after Ukraine received a US green light to launch long-range missiles provided by Washington against targets inside Russia.
“The G20 should support the United Nations and its Security Council in playing a greater role, and support all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of crises,” Xi said, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
He called for leaders to avoid “spillovers” from battlefields and escalation of fighting, and to help “cool the Ukraine crisis and seek a political solution.”
War in Ukraine continues to rage since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
China presents itself as a neutral party in the war and says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side, unlike the United States and other Western nations.
But it remains a close political and economic ally of Russia. NATO members have branded Beijing a “decisive enabler” of the war, which it has never condemned.
Following the long-range missile policy shift by US President Joe Biden, who leaves office in January, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Monday his country was sending Ukraine 4,000 AI-guided drones.
Xi, in his speech Monday, also called for efforts to shore up multilateral trade systems and warned against “politicizing economic issues” without naming any specific countries.
His comments come before US President-elect Donald Trump reenters the White House in January, after campaigning on pledges to enact sweeping tariffs on China and others.
Washington also unveiled sharp tariff hikes this year on Chinese goods, notably on products like electric vehicle batteries and solar cells, as the United States tries to grow its domestic clean energy sectors.
“We must avoid politicizing economic issues, artificially dividing the global market, and avoid practicing protectionism in the name of green and low-carbon development,” Xi said.
In seeking cooperation on artificial intelligence, he added that this should not become “a game of rich countries and the wealthy.”
Xi called for “all sides to stop fighting” in Gaza as well, saying the war between Israel and Hamas has “brought heavy suffering,” CCTV reported.
One of the issues dearest to President Lula was forging a global alliance against hunger - Copyright AFP Mauro PIMENTEL
G20 leaders met in Rio de Janeiro on Monday for talks on climate change, ongoing wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon, and more, at a forum that highlighted differences between world powers but also delivered some successes.
Here are five key takeaways from the summit:
– No climate breakthrough –
Hopes were high that G20 leaders would jumpstart stalled UN climate talks taking place in Azerbaijan.
In their final declaration, however, they merely recognized the need for “substantially scaling up climate finance from billions to trillions from all sources.”
Crucially, they did not say who would provide the trillions.
They also did not reiterate a commitment made at the COP28 climate talks in Dubai last year for a “just, orderly, and equitable transition” away from fossil fuels.
“They haven’t stepped up to the challenge,” Mick Sheldrick, co-founder of the Global Citizen campaign group said.
– Ukraine war –
The war in Ukraine dominated discussions at the G20, a day after the United States gave Kyiv the green light to strike Russian territory with American-supplied long-range missiles.
Russia vowed a “response” if hit.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who together with Brazil has been pushing for Kyiv to enter peace talks with Russia, urged the G20 to help “cool” the war.
In their final statement, G20 leaders said they welcomed “all relevant and constructive initiatives that support a comprehensive, just, and durable peace” in Ukraine.
While condemning, as at last year’s G20 summit, the “threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition,” they made no mention of Russian aggression.
– Lebanon, Gaza ceasefire calls –
The leaders of the G20 — which mixes steadfast Israel allies such as the United States and Argentina with countries like Turkey that are more supportive of Palestinians — called for “comprehensive” ceasefires in both Gaza and Lebanon.
They said the Gaza ceasefire should be in line with a US-proposed UN resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in the territory in return for the release of all hostages by Hamas.
It also called for a Lebanon ceasefire “that enables citizens to return safely to their homes on both sides of the Blue Line” that separates Lebanese and Israeli armed forces.
– Tax the super-rich –
The G20 endorsed the idea of cooperating to make sure “ultra-high-net-worth individuals are effectively taxed,” delivering a victory to summit host Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
It said though that such cooperation should be “with full respect to tax sovereignty” and involve “debates around tax principles” as well as coming up with anti-avoidance mechanisms.
An economist specializing in inequalities who was tapped by the Brazilian G20 presidency to write a report on the issue, Gabriel Zucman, hailed the “historic decision.”
– Alliance against hunger –
One of the issues dearest to President Lula was forging a global alliance against hunger, and he received an early success by launching that initiative at the start of the summit, getting 82 countries to sign on.
The alliance aims to unite international efforts to provide financing in the campaign against hunger, and to replicate programs that have proved successful in some countries.
The goal is to reach half a billion people by the end of the decade, reducing what Lula — who grew up in poverty — has called a preventable “scourge that shames humanity.”
China’s Xi urges G20 to help ‘cool’ Ukraine crisis
By AFP
November 18, 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged leaders to help 'cool the Ukraine crisis and seek a political solution' - Copyright AFP Mauro PIMENTEL
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged G20 leaders Monday to support efforts to de-escalate the war in Ukraine and reach a “political solution,” state media reported.
His remarks at the G20 summit in Brazil come shortly after Ukraine received a US green light to launch long-range missiles provided by Washington against targets inside Russia.
“The G20 should support the United Nations and its Security Council in playing a greater role, and support all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of crises,” Xi said, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
He called for leaders to avoid “spillovers” from battlefields and escalation of fighting, and to help “cool the Ukraine crisis and seek a political solution.”
War in Ukraine continues to rage since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
China presents itself as a neutral party in the war and says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side, unlike the United States and other Western nations.
But it remains a close political and economic ally of Russia. NATO members have branded Beijing a “decisive enabler” of the war, which it has never condemned.
Following the long-range missile policy shift by US President Joe Biden, who leaves office in January, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Monday his country was sending Ukraine 4,000 AI-guided drones.
Xi, in his speech Monday, also called for efforts to shore up multilateral trade systems and warned against “politicizing economic issues” without naming any specific countries.
His comments come before US President-elect Donald Trump reenters the White House in January, after campaigning on pledges to enact sweeping tariffs on China and others.
Washington also unveiled sharp tariff hikes this year on Chinese goods, notably on products like electric vehicle batteries and solar cells, as the United States tries to grow its domestic clean energy sectors.
“We must avoid politicizing economic issues, artificially dividing the global market, and avoid practicing protectionism in the name of green and low-carbon development,” Xi said.
In seeking cooperation on artificial intelligence, he added that this should not become “a game of rich countries and the wealthy.”
Xi called for “all sides to stop fighting” in Gaza as well, saying the war between Israel and Hamas has “brought heavy suffering,” CCTV reported.
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