G20 summit begins with Brazilian host laying out ambitious global priorities

At the opening of the annual G20 summit in Brazil on Monday, leaders of 19 member countries along with the African Union and European Union vowed to work toward tackling global poverty and pushed for reform of global institutions.

The meeting – bringing together nations representing 85 per cent of the world’s GDP, three-quarters of international trade and two-thirds of global population – comes amid a period of global stress.

The summit’s host, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, emphasised that this year’s meeting was taking place amid the “largest number of armed conflicts since World War II and the greatest number of forced displacements ever recorded”. He also pointed to the growing social, racial and gender inequalities, adding that “the ultimate symbol of our tragedy is hunger and poverty”.

Meant to be a diplomatic highlight of Lula’s third term, the agenda has run into headwinds. The meeting has resulted in an agreement to create a global anti-hunger alliance the ambitious – and almost unattainable – goal of “eradicating hunger and poverty” by 2030.

Lula’s other priorities, including a global tax on billionaires, addressing climate change and effort to make the UN Security Council, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organization more representative, face choppy waters with the election of Donald Trump and his protectionist “America first” agenda.