G20 Meeting Discusses Global Governance Reforms

On Thursday, the foreign affairs ministers of the countries in the Group of Twenty (G20) began the second and final session of their work in Rio de Janeiro, where they will discuss reforms in multilateral institutions such as the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund.

RELATED:

China and Brazil To Expand Strategic Bilateral Cooperation

After addressing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza in Wednesday's session, the representatives of the world's largest economies are discussing reforms that will enable multilateral organizations to be more effective in addressing the escalation of international tensions.

The "Global Governance Reform" is one of the priorities of the G20 during Brazil's presidency, which will coordinate this international forum until November, when the G20 Summit of Heads of State and Government is scheduled to take place in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva advocates for profound reforms in multilateral bodies for conflict resolution, especially reforms in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

"The current global governance institutions are not equipped to deal with the tensions we are currently facing, as evidenced by the paralysis of the United Nations, which is reflected in the loss of innocent lives," said Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira on Wednesday.

Vieira said that Brazil is very concerned about the current security situation in the world and cited a study showing that there were at least 170 conflicts between states in 2023, a figure that implies the highest level of interstate conflict in the past three decades.

"Without peace and cooperation, it will be very difficult to achieve the promised mobilization of resources needed to address challenges such as the fight against poverty and inequality, and the protection of the environment," he said.

Almost all the foreign ministers of the countries attended the G20 meeting in Rio, with the exception of China and Italy. Also in attendance are ministers from some countries invited by Brazil, including Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

The Rio de Janeiro meeting also includes U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.