G20 leaders meet in Brazil today to discuss fighting poverty, boosting climate financing, and other multilateral initiatives that could be toppled by US President Donald Trump’s return to White House.
Outgoing US President Joe Biden will attend his last summit of the world's top 20 leading economies, although his presence at the summit will not make any impact on the leaders of the other nations.
The main spotlight will be on Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose image as a global statesman has seen a significant rise over the last few years.
He is also seen as a protector of the free trade agreements contradicting Trump’s “America First” policy.
Brazil’s left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will be using his hosting duties to highlight his championing of Global South issues and the fight against climate change.
The summit venue is Rio de Janeiro’s stunning bayside museum of modern art.
The G20 summit is happening at a time when the COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan has stalled over the issue of greater climate finance for underdeveloped and developing countries.
Meanwhile, global eyes will be locked on the ongoing Rio Summit for a breakthrough
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for G20 members, who account for 80 per cent of global emissions, to show “leadership and compromise” to facilitate a deal.
During the last G20 in India, leaders called for a tripling of renewable energy sources by the end of the decade, but without explicitly calling for an end to the use of fossil fuels.
Amongst the leaders who decided not to attend Rio is Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court for war with Ukraine. He said his presence at the summit would “wreck” the gathering.
The summit will open on Monday with Lula, a former steelworker who grew up in poverty, launching a “Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty.”
Lula, 79, told reporters that Ukraine and the Middle East would be kept off the summit and agenda to focus on the poor.
“Because if not, we will not discuss other things that are more important for people that are not at war, who are poor people and invisible to the world,” he said.
Additionally, Brazil is also aiming to become the first nation to push for higher taxes on billionaires.
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