What did you achieve on your first day in Rio de Janeiro?

With police, soldiers with helmets and long weapons, closed streets and beaches full of tourists and locals, the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro welcomes heads of state for the second day this Tuesday, on the last day of the summit of the Group of the top 20 economies, which has so far achieved a basic consensus on the human suffering caused by the war in Gaza and the economic consequences of the conflict.

The leaders also agreed on Monday through a joint statement on “deep concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.” In the text, the leaders urgently called for more aid and protection for civilians along with a complete ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

The G20 supports a “ceasefire” in Gaza and Lebanon, a “comprehensive, just and lasting peace” in Ukraine, and will cooperate to ensure that super rich “effectively” pay taxes, the leaders expressed in the final declaration signed on Monday.

Without mentioning Russia, the text indicated that peace must be in line with UN principles and promote “peaceful, friendly and good” relations between neighboring countries.

Likewise, the text called on countries to cooperate on issues such as climate change, poverty reduction and fiscal policy.

The big absentee from the two-day meeting is Russian President Vladimir Putin, who sent Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in his place.

The final declaration was made possible after negotiations over the weekend, including a debate on climate policy that lasted into the early hours of Sunday, according to sources involved in the negotiations.

“The world is worse”: Lula da Silva, defender of the ultra-high net worth tax

As expected, the G20’s final statement on Monday reaffirmed that the group will cooperate so that the “super-rich” “effectively” pay taxes. “We will seek to engage cooperatively to ensure that high net worth individuals ultrahigh are effectively valued,” the document stated.

The initiative, promoted by Lula da Silva, seeks to apply a 2% tax to 3,000 billionaires to finance the fight against hunger.

“I was at the first meeting of G20 leaders, convened in Washington in the context of the 2008 financial crisis. Sixteen years later, I sadly realize that the world is worse,” Lula said in his inaugural speech.

With this plan, between 200,000 and 250,000 million dollars could be raised, according to its main promoter, the French economist Gabriel Zucman, associate professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of California and advisor to Lula on this issue.

The US reiterates support for Ukraine

US President Joe Biden urged G20 leaders in his speech on Monday to support Ukraine’s sovereignty. “The United States strongly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. “Everyone at this table, in my opinion, should do the same,” Biden said Monday.

His comment came a day after press reports from the agencies Reuters and AP They claimed, citing an official and other sources familiar with the matter, that the Biden government had granted Ukraine permission to use long-range missiles supplied by the United States to attack inside Russia.

The US administration has not confirmed the reports about that decision, which if it occurred would generate more tensions and accentuate Washington’s involvement in the conflict.

Read also: What does it mean to allow Ukraine to use US missiles?

What is the G20?

The G20 is an international forum that brings together countries with the “largest economies” in the world. Its function is to shape and strengthen global architecture and governance in international economic issues.

The forum each year discusses issues of health, social justice, culture, climate change, agriculture, tourism and the fight against corruption.

The G20 does not have an executive body or council, its presidency rotates and lasts one year. Its decisions are not legally binding for its members. This year, Brazil is in charge of the G20 presidency.

How did it come about?

The G20 was conceived in 1999 as a response to the financial crisis in Asia (1998), which raised fears of a global economic disaster. And it was designed as a space for coordination between finance ministers and presidents of the central banks of the main developed and emerging economies.

In 2018, in the wake of the global financial crisis, the G20 was elevated to a space for heads of state and government, where they could meet each year for two days. Then, it was designated as “the main forum for international economic cooperation.”

Over the years, the G20 has evolved the agenda.

South Africa will assume the rotating presidency of the G20 on December 1 and until November 31, 2025.

Who participates in the G20?

It is made up of 19 countries and the European Union (EU), and according to official data, together they represent 85% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), more than 17% of world trade and nearly two-thirds of the world’s population. .

The countries that make up the forum are Germany, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, United States, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, Republic of Korea, Russia, South Africa, Turkey and the European Union (EU).

Eight international organizations also participate. Among them, the United Nations Organization (UN), the International Monetary Fund (FM), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank (WB).

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