Statement by President Lula at G7 outreach meeting in Italy

I would like to thank Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for the invitation to participate in this outreach engagement meeting.

In the last similar meeting I participated in Italy, during the L´Áquila Summit in 2009, we were facing a global financial crisis that exposed the mistakes of neoliberalism.

Today Brazil presides over the G20 in a context of multiple and new challenges.

Conducting an inclusive digital revolution and facing climate change are existential dilemmas of our time.

We must deal with this double transition with a focus on human dignity, the health of the planet and a sense of responsibility towards future generations.

In the digital arena, we are experiencing an unprecedented concentration of resources in the hands of a small number of individuals and companies, based in an even smaller number of countries.

Artificial intelligence (AI) exacerbates this scenario of opportunities, risks and asymmetries.

Its benefits must be shared by all.

We are interested in a safe, transparent and empowering AI.

One that respects human rights, protects personal data and promotes information integrity.

One that strengthens the capacity of States to adopt public policies for the environment and contributes to the energy transition.

An AI that can be recognized as having the face of the Global South, that strengthens cultural and linguistic diversity and develops our countries’ digital economies.

And, above all, an AI that can be used as an instrument for peace, not war.

We need international and intergovernmental governance of artificial intelligence in which all States have a seat.

The African countries are indispensable partners in facing these and other challenges.

With its population of 1.5 billion and its immense and wealthy territory, Africa has enormous potential for the future.

The creative force of its youth cannot be wasted in crossing the Sahara to drown in the Mediterranean.

Seeking a better life must not be a death sentence.

In addition to the African Union, which for the first time participates as a full member of the G20, we have also extended invitations to Angola, Egypt and Nigeria to participate in the meetings during our presidency.

Many African countries are close to insolvency and spend more on foreign debt repayment than on education or health.

This represents a permanent source of social and political instability.

Without adding value to their natural resources, developing countries will remain trapped in the dependent relationships that have defined their history.

The State must recover its role as a planner of development.

Promoting decent employment and social inclusion are some of the issues I discussed yesterday at the International Labor Conference in Geneva.

That is the purpose of the Partnership for Workers' Rights that we are moving forward with President Biden.

The proposal for fair and progressive international taxation that Brazil is championing at the G20 is part of this very drive to fight inequality.

It is high time for the super-rich to pay their fair share of taxes.

The excessive concentration of power and income poses a risk to democracy. Many developing countries have implemented efficient policies to eradicate hunger and poverty.

Our goal at the G20 is to mobilize resources to expand such policies and to adapt them for different realities.

The support of all attendees at this meeting for the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, which we will launch during the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, will be crucial to finally heal this enduring wound of humankind.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The governance institutions have been inoperative in addressing the current geopolitical reality so as such they perpetuate privileges.

The year 2023 saw and increase in armament spending, compared with 2022, to reach 2.4 trillion dollars.

In Gaza, we see the legitimate right to self-defense being transformed into a right to vengeance.

We are facing the daily violation of humanitarian law, which has victimized thousands of innocent civilians, especially women and children.

This has led us to endorse South Africa’s decision to bring this case to the International Court of Justice.

Brazil has strongly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

It is evident that neither party will achieve all of its objectives through military means.

A viable path to peace can only be achieved through an international conference recognized by both sides, similarly to the proposal put forth by Brazil and China.

The G7, the BRICS and the G20 bring together the planet’s largest economies.

The future we will share hinges on our capacity to overcome historical inequalities and injustices, enabling us to prevail over the current challenges faced by humankind.

Thank you very much.