Notícias
Address by Minister Mauro Vieira at the Second Session of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting – Johannesburg, February 21, 2025
Minister Lamola,
Fellow colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Allow me to thank you, Minister Lamola, for the reception hosted by you and the mayor of Johannesburg, Mr. Dada Morero, yesterday.
The theme chosen for the South African G20 Presidency — “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability” — and the reference in the Concept Note to the “Ubuntu Spirit,” highlights the connection between individuals, society, and the environment.
The four goals proposed by South Africa demonstrate a clear vision about the outcomes of its G20 Presidency. Disaster resilience and response, debt sustainability, just energy transitions, and critical minerals are subjects that matter a great deal to all of us around this table.
As a developing country, Brazil sees them as highly relevant for the promotion of sustainable development – which was one of the three priorities in our G20 Presidency last year – and inclusive growth – which is the main subject of one of the proposed task forces for the present year.
The creation of temporary task forces is an excellent idea, which allows the chair country to underline the areas in which it wants high-level deliverables while avoiding changes to the structure of the G20 itself. Brazil fully supports this proposal.
We commend South Africa’s focus on “inclusive economic growth”, with an emphasis on employment, fighting inequality and promoting industrialization. Economic inequality is a global issue that fuels social tensions and threatens political stability in many nations. Unemployment, especially among young people and vulnerable populations, undermines the potential for sustainable growth.
Promoting industrialization, with a focus on innovation and global value chains, is crucial to boost economic growth, to ensure greater well-being and economic resilience, to create jobs and fiscal income. All of this contributes to debt sustainability.
Brazil supports creating a G20 “Cost of Capital Commission” during South Africa’s Presidency. We look forward to more details on the commission.
Minister Lamola,
I also would like to commend South Africa for choosing “food security” as one of the themes of the proposed new task forces in its G20 Presidency.
The promotion of food security and nutrition, and the sustainable and inclusive transformation of agrifood systems are key priorities for the Brazilian Government. Sadly, hunger and poverty remain among the greatest challenges faced by humanity in the 21st century.
The Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty was officially launched at the G20 Leaders' Summit in Rio de Janeiro last November. As of now, the initiative has gathered 168 members, including 91 countries, with all G20 members, as well as 25 international organizations, 10 financial institutions and 42 non-profit foundations and NGOs.
On February 11th, the inaugural meeting of the Global Alliance's Board of Champions took place in Rome, marking a pivotal step toward its implementation. We extend our gratitude to all participating nations, international organizations, and financial institutions for supporting the Alliance since its inception. A special thanks goes to Spain for co-chairing the Board alongside Brazil, and to China, India, Kenya, the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Norway for serving as vice-chairs.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Rio de Janeiro Leaders’ Declaration acknowledged the need for the G20 to further discuss “artificial intelligence, data governance, and innovation”. It also decided to establish a high-level initiative or task force on the matter.
Brazil appreciates that South Africa’s approach connects artificial intelligence and innovation with sustainable development. Experiences from several G20 members have shown that well-designed digital public infrastructure, enhanced by AI, can help use data for development, create jobs, and improve social outcomes, especially in education and health.
Data is key to developing and running AI systems, as acknowledged in last year’s UN Resolution on AI. All countries contribute to data production and should have the right to benefit from the technology derived from it. We must establish a fair and equitable global framework for data governance to address the principles for the collection, storage, use and transfer of data, while respecting privacy, personal data protection and security policies.
Digital inclusion is also critical for ensuring people can access emergency services during crises and disasters, such as floods or droughts. Leading up to COP30, Brazil has chosen to focus on both the benefits and risks of digital technologies, including AI, in relation to sustainable development and climate change.
International discussions on security and AI must remain within established multilateral fora, particularly the United Nations. The G20 can play a supporting role by exploring long-term, sustainable solutions for AI governance. In this regard, Brazil looks forward to contributing to the G20 Task Force convened by South Africa to discuss these critical issues.
To conclude, I would like to commend the decision to launch a debate on the G20 at Twenty. This is in line with our leaders’ decision, in the Rio de Janeiro Declaration, to promote an evaluation of the G20's first full cycle of presidencies and to provide recommendations to the second cycle, including a roadmap for future presidencies.
Thank you very much.
