Address by Minister Mauro Vieira at the G77 Ministerial Meeting - New York, September 22,2023

Fellow Ministers, 

         It gives me great pleasure to take part in this forty-seventh annual meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77 and China. Even more auspicious is the fact that I came to New York directly from Havana, where I was able to accompany President Lula in the G77 Summit.

         Existing multilateral institutions, created over 75 years ago, reflect an international order that ceased to exist a long time ago. They are no longer capable of addressing the multifaceted challenges the world faces today.

         This becomes evident when the United Nations and its Security Council prove to be unable to solve or prevent conflicts, when the international financial institutions are incapable to address the growing debt crisis in the developing world and when the WTO is incapable of guaranteeing a fair and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system and its dispute settlement system becomes totally dysfunctional. I could go on with other examples.

         So, the need for reform is more urgent than ever, and it should start with United Nations Security Council. I want to reiterate once more that Brazil is firmly committed to a comprehensive reform, including the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent members in order to solve the serious lack of representation in that body.

         It is also critical to reform the Multilateral Trading System. More than ever, we need a credible WTO reform that puts the challenges faced by developing countries and the promotion of sustainable development front and center, with a functioning, fair and effective dispute settlement system.

         Developing countries also need to play a greater role in the decision-making and governance structures of International Financial Institutions. It is essential to reduce bureaucracy and conditionalities, increase concessional financing, promote true national ownership, and provide policy space for developing countries. At the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda, it is necessary to guarantee the adequate means of implementation for our shared goals.

         It is crucial that developed countries meet their commitments on financing for development, such as allocating 0.7% of their GDPs to Official Development Assistance and achieving the initial US$ 100 billion annual target on climate financing. This is just a drop in the ocean of the investments necessary to fight climate change and fulfill the SDGs, which are in the scale of trillions and not billions.

         Developed countries have been putting increased pressure to focus international financing almost exclusively on climate and environmental issues. Fighting climate change is of the utmost importance, but we cannot ignore other urgent issues such as fighting inequality, hunger and poverty. It is imperative to maintain a balanced approach to sustainable development in its economic, social and environmental dimensions.

         “Green policies” must not be an excuse for protectionism and unfair competition, and the global South must not be relegated to the role of commodity exporters while lacking adequate access to the technological tools they need achieve the SDGs.

         It is also critical to put an end to unilateral coercive measures and illegal and unfair sanctions, which negatively affect developing countries preventing them from reaping the benefits of international trade and investments. These types of measures are legally and morally unjustifiable. They harm the poorest and the most vulnerable peoples and must be thoroughly condemned.

Dear Ministers,

         During Brazil´s presidency of the G20, we will put the concerns, interests and needs of the developing countries at the heart of our agenda. We will build upon the hard work of the Indonesian and Indian presidencies and strive towards the reform of the international financial system and the creation of a new international economic order.

         Moreover, we will emphasize the importance of social inclusion. President Lula has proposed a global partnership for food security, with the aim of ending hunger and reducing inequalities, with full climate responsibility. In his words, ending hunger is a “civilizational challenge for the entire planet”, one which we can only overcome with collective political will and the reinforcement of multilateralism.

Thank you.