Address by Minister Mauro Vieira at the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting - Session II: Global Governance Reform

Distinguished Ministers of Foreign Affairs,

Representatives of International Organizations,

Heads of Delegation,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to start by recalling that in the last G20 Summit, in New Delhi, our leaders have agreed on “the need for revitalized multilateralism to adequately address contemporary global challenges and to make global governance more representative, effective, transparent and accountable”.

Also in New Delhi, President Lula announced as one of the three main priorities of Brazil’s G20 Presidency to promote the reinvigoration of multilateralism and the reform of global governance institutions.

Many of the existing international organizations were designed in the 1940s – when the UN had around 50 Member States – and reflect a global geopolitical reality that no longer exists.

For the sake of their legitimacy and efficacy, it is essential that international organizations update their governance structures and practices to better represent the diversity of their membership and improve their capacity to address today’s challenges.

In the international financial area – the original realm of the G20 –, it is necessary to promote a more inclusive and representative governance structure in organizations such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Designed at a time when neither climate risks nor social inequalities, including gender inequality, were considered preeminent development challenges, there is a widespread perception that the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) are not fit-for-purpose to address the great social and environmental challenges of our time.

Together with many other G20 members, Brazil also argues for bigger, better, more effective and more representative MDBs. Beyond increased capital, MDBs need to be more responsive to the needs of developing countries.

In the field of international trade, the World Trade Organization faces serious challenges that undermine its effectiveness and relevance as the cornerstone of the rules-based Multilateral Trading System. Since the WTO was founded in 1995, members failed time and again to deliver the expected results under the negotiating pillar. The organization’s Dispute Settlement Body has been completely paralyzed in the past few years, undermining the enforcement of all agreements.

Amidst a resurgence of worldwide protectionism, we need to move forward with the WTO reform process, reinforcing the centrality of the development dimension and particularly focusing on the reestablishment of its dispute settlement pillar.

Distinguished Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As foreign ministers, I believe we are uniquely placed to work towards the revival of multilateralism and the promotion of global governance reform, with a particular emphasis on the political framework that is central to our peaceful coexistence and to our joint capacity to address today’s challenges.

This discussion, therefore, cannot disregard the undeniable need for a broader reform of the United Nations. The capacity of the organization to meet new demands, in the exercise of its collective responsibilities, has not evolved with the speed and in the direction required by current global dynamics. Today, there is a widespread perception that the UN structure, procedures and working methods need to be updated to increase effectiveness.

In this context, the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly is much needed to enhance its authority, streamline its work and make the implementation of its resolutions more effective.

The need to update the main UN bodies also includes the strengthening of the Economic and Social Council. ECOSOC has to be able to play its role as a principal organ for coordination, policy review, and recommendations on issues of economic and social development, including through its engagement with civil society, and with a reach that go beyond UN walls.

We must also update the system of collective security that, despite its many challenges, remains relevant and must be preserved, especially through the reform of the United Nations Security Council.

Its current composition, which reflects the balance of power in 1945, when the UN had only 51 Members States, is not compatible with current geopolitical realities. Today, the UN has 193 Members. Our own region, Latin America and the Caribbean, is not represented in the category of permanent members. The same is true for Africa.

The more we protract the Council’s unavoidable reform, the more the international community will face the negative effects stemming from the serious limitations that have compromised its capacity to act in the promotion of international peace and security.

Distinguished Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Reforming global governance is not something unknown or foreign to us. This very group is the product of global governance reform. The G20 in its current format was consolidated fifteen years ago and, since then, has proven to be a valuable framework for addressing new challenges in many areas.

Brazil believes that the time has come for the G20 to make its own contribution by creating appropriate conditions for its leaders to seriously discuss the current global governance structures.

For this purpose, the Brazilian Presidency invites G20 members to prepare for a meaningful leaders’ discussion on global governance, which would allow them to join their voices to promote the reinvigoration of multilateralism and the reform of global governance institutions.

To that effect, Brazil will convene a second G20 foreign ministers’ meeting this year, in the UN and open to all UN member states. It will take place during the high-level week of the next General Assembly, most likely on 26 September 2024.

I would like to take this opportunity to invite all of you to this symbolic meeting, in which, for the first time in its history, the G20 will convene inside the United Nations, in a meeting open to all members of the international community.

Brazil would like this to be an opportunity for the G20 and others to join their voices in favor of a "call to action” for the reform of global governance institutions, with the United Nations at its center.

The Brazilian G20 Presidency will circulate a draft proposal in the coming months urging the group to join other ongoing initiatives, such as the Summit of the Future, in a call for the effective reform of global governance.

Thank you very much.