Address by Minister Mauro Veira at the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting - Paris, 5/2/2024

Thank you Mr. Chair,

Dear Colleagues,

As a developing country, Brazil regards as an absolute priority the sustainable development agenda in its three dimensions – social, environmental and economic –, including the imperative of poverty eradication.

We are deeply concerned with how we, the international community, are not only falling behind; we are, indeed, even going backwards in achieving many of the SDGs, which are crucial for developing countries.

Today, we also face the challenge of the energy and digital transitions, which may increase inequalities within and between countries. We must increase our collaboration and coordination in order to turn them into new investment opportunities, create new decent jobs and raise the standard of living of our populations.

For developing countries to achieve economic gains associated with new technologies, they need to foster the building up of the necessary capabilities both in their public and in private sectors.

This includes not only scientific and technical skills, but also appropriate domestic policies, regulations and infrastructure. International cooperation is also a key instrument in this endeavor.

In this context, promoting sustainable development in an integral manner is more urgent than ever.

For Brazil, sustainable development implies a healthy environment and a socially inclusive economy that generates opportunities for all, including the most vulnerable.

Mr.Chair,

Brazil´s presidency of the G20 adopted the motto “Building a Fair World and a Sustainable Planet”.

The country has defined three main axes for its G20 presidency: the fight against hunger, poverty and inequality; sustainable development in its the three dimensions (economic, social and environmental); and the reform of global governance.

In line with these objectives, Brazil created two task forces within the G20: the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty and the Global Mobilization against Climate Change.

We thank all the support from OECD as an organization invited to be part of the Task-Force against hunger and poverty and we hope that the Organization can join the Alliance when it is launched.

In the words of President Lula, ending hunger is a challenge for the entire planet and one of the most daunting hurdles to development, which we can only overcome with political will and with the strengthening of multilateralism.

Thank you.