It is a pleasure to be with all of you again, this time in Johannesburg under the South African G20 presidency. I congratulate Minister Lamola for the opening session, along with President Ramaphosa’s presence, and wish South Africa and its G20 team a successful year.

During our presidency in 2024, Brazil worked hard to address key issues and keep the G20 at the center of the main international challenges of our days.

We worked, together with you, to find concrete contributions to help alleviate hunger, poverty, and inequality, as well as to secure climate financing and to support the much-needed reforms of global governance architecture.

I am confident that we will be able to build on that and, once again, deliver tangible results, given the robust priorities set out by South Africa presidency’s, which are strongly aligned with the 2030 Agenda.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Paragraph 6 of the G20 Rio de Janeiro Leaders’ Declaration, adopted last November, states: “we note with distress the immense human suffering and the adverse impact of wars and conflicts around the world.” It specifically mentioned two conflicts — one in Europe and one in the Middle East.

The conflict in Ukraine regrettably reaches its three-year mark this February. Over this time, we have seen a growing humanitarian crisis and an escalating arms race.

Since the beginning, Brazil has emphasized the need for dialogue and a negotiated solution, guided by the principles of the United Nations Charter and considering the security concerns of all parties. Brazil and China launched a joint initiative to support future peace efforts. Last September, we hosted a High-Level Meeting of Global South Countries on the Conflict in Ukraine in New York. This led to the creation of the "Group of Friends of Peace," which now includes 17 countries.

Brazil calls for an end to the conflict and believes lasting peace can only be achieved through diplomacy. Moreover, Brazil finds necessary to reiterate that any viable solution to this war must arise from a peace process that includes both sides of the conflict at the negotiating table – something our country and many others have been stressing since the beginning of the hostilities.

We adopt the same approach towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We welcomed the ceasefire in Gaza last month between Israel and Hamas, as well as the ceasefire in Lebanon.

The war in Gaza demonstrates who pays the price when diplomacy fails. After 15 months of fighting, more than 47,000 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis have lost their lives, with many women and children among the casualties. The Gaza Strip is devastated, with much of its civilian infrastructure destroyed.

Brazil calls on all parties to ensure the strict implementation of the ceasefire agreement and hopes that it can lead to the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the liberation of all remaining hostages and the unimpeded access of humanitarian aid to the Strip.

The defense of the two-state solution is even more important at this juncture. In this regard, the recently proposed idea of expelling the entire population of Gaza, in defiance of the most fundamental principles of international law, is an appalling new development. As Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres said – and I quote –: 'It is essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing.'"

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Brazil is also deeply concerned with the escalating tensions in Mozambique, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Brazil has been a longstanding contributor to MONUSCO in the DRC. We condemn recent attacks on the UN stabilization mission and forces deployed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC). We also firmly denounce all violence against civilians and infrastructure, which are clear violations of International and Humanitarian Law.

We fully support efforts of the African Union, the United Nations, and other organizations and countries towards political and diplomatic solutions to these crises.

Minister Lamola,

Brazil strongly opposes the use of military force to resolve disputes. To counter this, we must strengthen global cooperation. As outlined in our “G20 Call to Action on Global Governance Reform,” the international system should be based on the UN Charter and international law, with modernized institutions and fairer representation that reflects today’s world.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. Its structure is outdated. The Security Council still reflects the post-World War II era, and global financial and trade systems struggle to address today’s challenges, especially for developing countries.

To make global governance fairer and more effective, developing nations must have a stronger voice in major international organizations. A stronger UN-led multilateral system is essential for these institutions to fulfill their purpose. We must focus on global threats like poverty and climate change.

I commend South Africa for setting G20 priorities in line with the development agenda. As the Rio Declaration states: "Peaceful conflict resolution, crisis management, diplomacy, and dialogue are crucial. Only through peace can we achieve sustainability and prosperity."

As part of the G20 Troika and a fellow developing country, Brazil fully supports South Africa’s presidency and looks forward to working together towards turning this year’s discussions into concrete results.

Finally, I would like to recall that later this year Brazil will host the COP30, which will take place in the Amazon Forest, in the city of Belém. At this critical juncture for the fight against climate change in a complex geopolitical environment, it is of utmost importance that all of our countries can make a decisive effort for an ambitious outcome. We need to work together, more than ever now.

Thank you.