The initiative will have 3 main pillars that combine financing, technical assistance based on successful social experiences and cooperation; it is Brazil’s main flag ahead of the G20
The president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) will present on Wednesday (24.Jul.2024) the premises of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Povertythe main banner of the Brazilian presidency of the G20. The initiative will have financing mechanisms so that poorer countries can implement social policies based on successful experiences. The resources should be provided by multilateral organizations and by rich countries and may be allocated to poorer countries.
The pre-launch will be held in Rio, during the G20 development ministerial meeting. Lula will participate in the opening of the meeting, which will be at 11 am. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, will also be present. The country, which is not part of the G20, was chosen because it has developed programs to combat hunger that are considered effective.
“These are two countries that, among other things, have managed to make significant progress in combating hunger, poverty and inequality with comprehensive programs. This is a hallmark of these two countries. And with the added symbolism that the programs focused their initiatives on the role of women.”said Maurício Lyrio, Secretary of Economic and Financial Affairs at Itamaraty and Brazilian sherpa (negotiator) at the G20 in an interview with journalists.
The meeting will be chaired by the Ministers of Finance, Fernando Haddad, Social Development, Wellington Dias, and Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira. On the same day, First Lady Janja Lula da Silva and Hasina will participate in a debate on the centrality of women in social programs to combat hunger and poverty.
The creation of the alliance was Lula’s idea even before Brazil assumed the presidency of the G20, formed by the 19 largest economies in the world, the European Union and, from 2024, the African Union. The mandate lasts 1 year and ends in December 2024. Therefore, the degree of adhesion of countries inside and outside the bloc will be decisive for the success of the Brazilian administration.
“One of the most important elements of the alliance is the enshrinement of this principle that, in order to combat hunger and poverty, it is necessary to have comprehensive social programs. For the first time, we have accumulated knowledge of what is effective in combating hunger in the world because countries around the world have had successful experiences,” said Lily.
According to Renato Godinho, head of the Special Advisory Office for International Affairs at Itamaraty, the alliance is based on supporting public policies that have already been tested through a basket of actions that interested countries can adopt with technical and financial assistance.
“It’s about providing financial support, knowledge and political commitment, which are the three pillars, so that countries can choose their options. Countries already have many things, but they want to improve or expand them, for example. And the alliance itself will not do any of these things. The idea is for it to be a small, agile, flexible and intelligent mechanism for matchmaking among the members of the alliance,” declared Godinho.
The G20 is negotiating the integration of the World Bank through its poverty alleviation fund. There is also an evaluation of the use of special drawing rights from the IMF (International Monetary Fund), which is being negotiated with two multilateral development banks. Another mechanism being evaluated is the exchange of debt for adherence to social programs, something already in practice for environmental actions.
“There is a serious problem. There is an unfortunate coincidence in the frequency of countries with a high incidence of hunger and the frequency of countries with high external debt. In the vast majority of cases, there is a coincidence. All these programs require some fiscal capacity for investment.”said Lyrio.
The alliance will include all types of countries, such as donors of financial resources, beneficiary countries, and those that have implemented successful social programs that will be able to provide technical cooperation.
Negotiations on the alliance began in February. Starting in the week beginning July 22, countries will be able to submit their voluntary memberships, in which they will define the form of participation through a declaration of commitment. Each country will be able to submit its own offers according to its interests.
At the meeting on Wednesday (24 July), the G20 will formalize the documents for the creation and joint management of the initiative, which will be carried out by a group of countries, called “team of champions”, who will make decisions on behalf of the alliance. There will be 4 texts presented that have already been approved by the G20 countries.
The countries that join the alliance by November, when the bloc’s leaders’ summit will be held, will be considered founding members.
According to Lyrio, several countries have already expressed interest in joining the alliance, but effective participation by each will only be possible after July 24.
On Wednesday morning, the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) will launch in Rio the report “The state of food security and nutrition in the world”, known as the Hunger Map, with data from 2023.
This will be the organization’s first survey on Lula’s third term. The report will be released shortly before the G20 meeting. According to the Itamaraty, this is the first time the document has been released outside the UN in Rome, Italy, or New York, United States.
“The numbers for 2022 were depressing, with almost 10% of the world’s population going hungry. An absolute tragedy. And we have noticed that these numbers have increased in recent years because of the pandemic. So the urgency in combating hunger and poverty in the world is even greater. We are hopeful that some progress has been made.”said Lily.
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