Brazilian Presidency of G20 has 3 priorities: Lula da Silva

NEW DELHI: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday thanked India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts in conducting the G20 Summit and set forth three priorities under his country’s presidency of the grouping. These, the Brazil President said includes social inclusion and the fight against hunger, energy transition and sustainable development and reform of global governance institutions.

At the closing session of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said, "All these priorities are part of the Brazilian presidency motto which says 'Building a fair world and a sustainable planet'. Two task forces will be created - Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty and the Global Mobilisation against Climate Change."

He made the remarks after PM Modi handed over the ceremonial gavel of the Group of 20 Presidency to him.

The Brazilian President said that the world needs to redouble its efforts to achieve the goal of ending world hunger by 2030.

"We need to redouble our efforts to achieve the goal of ending world hunger by 2030. Otherwise, we will be facing the biggest multilateral failure in recent years, Acting to fight climate change requires political will and determination of the rulers as well as resources and technology transfer. We want greater participation of the emerging economies in the decision-making process of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, the unbearable foreign debts of the poor countries needs to be addressed," he added.

The Brazilian President said that people today are living in a world where wealth is more concentrated in which millions of human beings still go hungry and where sustainable development is always threatened.

"We are living in a world where wealth is more concentrated in which millions of human beings still go hungry, where sustainable development is always threatened, in which government institutions still reflect the reality of middle of the last century. We will only be able to face all these problems if we address the issue of inequality - inequality of income, of access to healthcare, education, food, gender and race and also of representation is at the origin of these anomalies," Lula da Silva said.

He congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an "efficient leading" of India's G20 Presidency and praised him for the work carried out in preparing the G20 Summit.

Lula also expressed gratitude to India for its efforts of giving voice of the topics of interest to emerging economies.

"I thank India for its efforts for giving voice of the topics of interest to emerging economies. I would also like to give my salute to our friend, the representative of the African Union, who is a member of the G20," the Brazilian President said.

Lula da Silva stated that he was emotionally touched when he went to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi. He said that Gandhi has great meaning in his political life. Brazilian President and other world leaders early today paid a visit to Rajghat and paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi.

"I was emotionally touched when we went to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi...Gandhi has great meaning in my political life...He is a role model I have followed for many decades...Brazil will take chair to try to do something like India,” he said.

Earlier, PM Modi handed over the ceremonial gavel of the Group of 20 Presidency to Brazil President at the G20 summit here.

"I congratulate Brazilian President and my friend Lula da Silva and hand over the gavel of Presidency," PM Modi said minutes before the New Delhi G20 Summit concluded.

Earlier, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva handed over saplings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of Session 3 of the G20 Summit.

While Indonesia held the G20 presidency last year, Brazil will hold the presidency after India and hold the G20 Summit in its capital Rio de Janeiro.

India took over the G20 presidency on December 1 last year at the G20 Summit in Indonesia's Bali and will continue to hold it till the end of November.