At the opening of the second session of speeches at the G20 Leaders' Summit on Monday (18), the host president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, sent a few messages, especially to the far right, represented at the meeting by the Argentine president, Javier Milei. "It's no surprise that inequality fosters hatred, extremism, and violence. Nor that democracy is under threat. Neoliberal globalization has failed," he said.
Lula also mentioned impasses created by the Argentine government around multilateral discussions such as the climate crisis. "Recent impasses around the Pandemic Treaty, the Pact for the Future, and the COP on biodiversity in Cali show that diplomacy is losing ground to intransigence," said the president.
On the session's subject, Lula said that "the world stability depends on more representative institutions" and defended multipolarity as the path to peace. In this sense, he criticized the United Nations Security Council and the "indiscriminate use of the veto."
"The Security Council's failure to act has itself been a threat to international peace and security. The indiscriminate use of the veto makes the body hostage to the five permanent members. From Iraq to Ukraine, from Bosnia to Gaza, the perception is growing that not every territory deserves to have its integrity respected and not every life has the same value. Disastrous interventions have overturned order in Afghanistan and Libya. Indifference has relegated Sudan and Haiti to oblivion. Unilateral sanctions produce suffering and hit the most vulnerable," said the president, in front of heads of government from countries that are or have been involved in the wars mentioned.
Milei, the last one to agree with Brazil's proposal
Argentine President Javier Milei was the last leader to join the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, which President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced on Monday (18). With a markedly ultra-liberal government, Milei gave in after the official announcement of the measure, and Argentina was included, bringing the total to 82 countries.
"He has a position of defending liberalism, of the market solution, but he himself recognized that Argentina, which a few years ago had one of the lowest levels of poverty in the region, has now surpassed 50% poverty," said Minister Wellington Dias, of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, at a press conference this afternoon at the G20.
President Javier Milei has also criticized the text of the final G20 declaration in his support for gender equality and taxing the super-rich, which are central proposals of Brazil, which is chairing the meeting this year.
On Tuesday (19), the last day of G20 meetings, a final thematic session will focus on the climate crisis and its effects on the most vulnerable populations. This will be followed by the closing session, with the bloc's rotating presidency handed over to South Africa, which will lead the bloc for the following year.
