Rio de Janeiro – At the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting that is taking place on Wednesday and Thursday (21 and 22) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil has made the reform and strengthening of the United Nations a top priority. Diplomat Mauricio Lyrio (pictured), Brazil’s G20 sherpa, told reporters on Tuesday (20) that upgrading global governance and mechanisms for peacebuilding is urgent.
“We’re putting out fires. With 183 conflicts around the world, this is such a catastrophic situation from the perspective of human rights that the action has to be structural,” he said. “The idea is to have an effective reform of the U.N., so that it can actually be an efficient instrument to prevent conflicts from occurring.”
“Some countries advocate the reform of the Security Council, while others favor empowering the General Assembly or the Economic and Social Council. Brazil has always been open to an overall reform. The U.N. has to become more representative and upgraded to keep up with the contemporary needs,” he added.
Brazil is presiding the G20 group from December 1, 2023, to November 30, 2024. Some 130 meetings are expected to take place in the countries, the most important being the annual leaders’ summit scheduled for November 18 and 19 in Rio.
The meetings on Wednesday and Thursday will be attended by representatives of all members of the group: South Africa, Germany, Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, and United States, and well as the European Union and the African Union. Brazil has invited other countries and entities to participate, too, including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, discussions throughout the year will revolve around three priorities: social inclusion and fight against hunger and poverty; promotion of sustainable social, economic and environmental development; and the reform of global governance institutions.
Translation by Guilherme Miranda
