Rio de Janeiro – On Tuesday, November 19, 2024, the League of Arab States delegation, led by its Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, concluded the organization’s first participation in the G20 summit, which took place over two days, November 18 and 19, 2024, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The summit, titled “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet,” brought together G20 heads of state and government, member states, and a large number of countries, organizations, and international bodies.
In an interview with ANBA at the end of the summit, the Secretary-General said: “I am happy that the League is participating for the first time in the work of this extremely important international group, especially considering the diversity of its members, its openness to various international trends, and its interest in issues related to poverty reduction and development.”
Regarding the invitation extended to the League by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to participate in the summit meeting and to join his initiative, the Secretary-General expressed the League of Arab States’ support and its desire to join Brazil’s initiative to establish the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, believing in the need to strengthen all efforts that come together to address multiple global crises and challenges, including rising rates of extreme poverty and hunger.
In this context, the secretary-general addressed the situation in Gaza and Lebanon and the repercussions of Israel’s ongoing aggression. He emphasized that Israel’s practices and the bloody war it is waging against civilians in Palestine and Lebanon are exacerbating the spread of hunger and increasing rates of extreme poverty.
Aboul Gheit also expressed appreciation and gratitude for the invitation extended to the League of Arab States to participate for the first time in the G20 summit proceedings. He regarded this invitation as the culmination of a long history of cooperation and strong relations between the League and Brazil in various fields, praising the excellent organization of the summit’s work.
On the other hand, the assistant secretary-general of the League of Arab States, Ambassador Hossam Zaki, spoke to ANBA about the importance of participating in this significant global event and the League’s willingness to support the initiatives of the summit through its various international cooperation relations with other countries and international organizations, such as the African Union and the European Union.
Zaki highlighted the outcomes of the summit, especially the Brazilian initiative to establish the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty. The assistant secretary-general added there will be greater contributions to the League within this group, especially next year when South Africa will chair the group and host the 2025 summit. Ambassador Hossam Zaki also extended his sincere thanks to the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) for their participation and support.
First participation of the Arab League
The head of the Arab League mission in Brazil, Ambassador Qais Shqair, also spoke to ANBA, expressing his happiness with the invitation for the League to participate in the summit for the first time. “I feel proud, as head of the League’s delegation in Brazil, to be part of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.”
Regarding the importance of the League’s participation in this summit, Shqair said: “The importance of the League’s participation reinforces its presence in international cooperation forums, with the most prominent being this, where the League of Arab States takes on the role and status it deserves, as it represents 22 countries and is the oldest regional international organization.” The League was invited to participate as a guest and has started working with South Africa, the next president of the summit in 2025, to become an observer member.
The ambassador of the Arab League also highlighted the relationship between the entity and the embassy with the ABCC, saying, “We are proud of the Chamber’s contribution as a permanent partner of the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Brazil and the League’s mission. In various events, through its expertise in the economic field and its experience in Brazil with more than seven decades of bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Arab countries and various countries around the world in the economic and cultural areas.”
ABCC Institutional Relations Advisor Bassel Abou Latif accompanied the Arab League delegation during the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro. “It is always a source of pride for the ABCC to support major activities and events between Brazil and the Arab world. The landmark G20 summit in Brazil took place alongside the Arab League delegation led by Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit to add a new achievement to the history of the ABCC and confirm its historic role in supporting economic and cultural relations between Brazil and Arab countries. On this occasion, I’d like to express my sincere thanks to the Arab League and its embassy in Brazil for their trust in the ABCC,” said Latif.
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Ten Arab countries in Alliance Against Hunger
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
