Statement by Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the inaugural meeting of the National G20 Committee

First of all, I would like to thank the ministers for being here. It seems like there is a companion missing, who could not come due to other, important problems. Comrade Arthur Lira (president of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies); the presence of the president of the Supreme Court, our Minister Barroso; and something new –– for those who thought that the Central Bank would not take part in the meeting: Roberto Campos is here, fulfilling a task as important as ours by taking part in G20 commitments. This meeting is to establish the National Committee that will coordinate the G20 presidency.

I would like to remind my colleagues that this is possibly the most important international event that Brazil will take on the responsibility of coordinating. These are the world’s 20 largest economies, along with the guests, who always come from another group of countries. Brazil is going to host a meeting that will be historic to our country — and one that I hope can address the issues that we need to stop running away from. We must try to solve these problems. One of them is the issue of inequality, hunger and poverty.

It is no longer humanly possible to explain how the world can be so rich — that so much money crosses the Atlantic Ocean — and still so many people can be going hungry. Another subject that we will discuss intensely is climate and energy transition.

To Brazil, energy transition is an opportunity that we did not have in the 20th century. Now, in the 21st century, we can show the world that whoever wants to use green energy to produce what is necessary for humanity can come to Brazil: it is a safe haven where people may invest, helping to turn it into a developed country once and for all.

A third topic that we will discuss is global governance. In other words, it is no longer possible for Bretton Woods institutions, the World Bank, IMF and other financial institutions to go on functioning as if nothing were happening in the world, as if everything had been solved. Often the institutions that lend money do so not to save the country that is borrowing, but so it may pay a debt, you know, and not to create any productive facilities— proving that no contribution is being made to save any countries’ lives.

We are seeing what happened to Argentina –– and to Africa, with its US$800 billion debt. If there is no new discussion about how to finance poor countries, there will be no solution. The rich will go on being rich, the poor will go on being poor, and those who are hungry will go on being hungry.

So Brazil wants to take this opportunity and hold this great discussion. There will also be something new that Márcio (Macêdo, Minister of the Brazilian Presidency’s General Secretariat) will explain later: we are going to hold a big event with intense popular participation. We will try to involve Brazilian society — without vetoing any segment — so it may participate and present proposals, so that we may come to the end of our term at the G20 with something concrete. So that we may tell the Brazilian people and the world that we are going to start to change.

Lira was just telling me something, that he intends to hold a meeting for women — that women will be very empowered at this G20. It is important for all our fellow women who are here to consider this. He intends to hold a meeting for women parliamentarians, which I think is one thing — and he’s also going to hold a meeting with other congress members. We will not leave any segment of society out of the G20 debate. We are going to create something important here –– and today I must announce that we are going to create two task forces. One against hunger and inequality and the other against climate change. We are also launching a Bioeconomy initiative. Haddad, (Fernando Haddad, Minister of Finance), get ready to present a good project. And we are also going to set up a working group on women's empowerment, implementing the decisions adopted by all of us at the New Delhi Leaders' Summit, okay?

Before giving the floor over to Mauro Vieira (Minister of Foreign Affairs), I would like to repeat that this is the most important event that we are going to host. I think it is more important, from a political point of view, than a World Cup. And I think that ministers have to be aware of the following: everyone will have a lot of work to do, but it is important to never forget that you were elected, and appointed ministers, to govern Brazil –– and that, therefore, the priority is the work for which you were chosen to be ministers. This means that you will have to work harder than you are already working. It means that you are going to have to double your workload so that we may organize the G20 and keep our eyes on the ball — because, if this year was the first year of rebuilding things that we had to rebuild in Brazil, Haddad, next year is the year of hitting the road, of visiting this country, of talking to mayors, to governors, to congress members, to senators and, above all, to people, who expect us to meet the interests they established during the electoral process.

So we must be careful. It is an arduous task, it is the first time. We have no experience, we will acquire experience with those who have already taken part in the G20 –– so coordination will be largely based on Itamaraty (Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and the Ministry of Finance, and there will be specific working groups. So I hope you will do your best. As a football player would say: you must do your best so you can get the “very best”. Right? That is it.

I will now give the floor to comrade Mauro, our Minister of Foreign Affairs, so he may explain a little of what is going to happen. Then comrade Haddad will speak; then comrade Márcio will speak to show popular participation –– and then this event will be over and we will go on with our daily lives. Mauro, the floor is yours.