RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday urged world leaders to work together and find solutions to hunger as he launched a new initiative to address what he described as “the most degrading of human deprivations.”
Lula, who has prioritized hunger alleviation during Brazil’s presidency of the G20, emphasized the urgency of the issue as finance ministers prepared to convene on Thursday and Friday to discuss strategies, including taxing the super-rich.
In a speech launching his Global Alliance Against Hunger, Lula underscored the gravity of the global hunger crisis, citing a recent UN report that highlighted 733 million people suffering from hunger in 2023, amounting to nine percent of the world’s population.
“Hunger is the most degrading of human deprivations, an attack on life, an assault on freedom,” Lula asserted, calling for collective efforts to secure necessary financial resources to address the crisis effectively.
The initiative aims to pool international financial resources and replicate successful local programs to combat hunger on a global scale.
“The fight against inequality, the fight against hunger, the fight against poverty are all fights that cannot be done by one country alone,” Lula emphasized during a press briefing earlier this week.
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The upcoming finance ministers’ meeting is expected to focus on taxing the ultra-wealthy, following discussions initiated earlier this year in Sao Paulo. The goal is to prevent billionaires from evading tax systems and to ensure fair contributions towards addressing global challenges like hunger.
Supported by nations including France, Spain, South Africa, Colombia, and the African Union, the initiative faces significant hurdles, with previous talks characterized by contention and a lack of consensus.
Brazil’s Economy Minister, Fernando Haddad, acknowledged challenges from past discussions, describing the negotiations as reaching a “dead end” earlier this year. The German Finance Ministry echoed these sentiments, indicating that consensus remains elusive.
The United States has also expressed reservations about international negotiations on taxation, with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen suggesting that effective tax solutions may vary widely across jurisdictions.
Alongside discussions on taxing the wealthy, finance ministers will seek progress on the international taxation of multinational corporations, following an agreement signed by nearly 140 countries three years ago.
Brazil anticipates publishing three key documents following the finance ministers’ meeting, including a joint final communique, a document on international cooperation in tax matters, and a separate statement addressing geopolitical crises.
The G20, established in 1999, comprises 19 of the world’s largest economic powers along with the European Union and the African Union. Originally focused on global economic issues, the G20 has increasingly taken on broader challenges impacting global stability and development.
The summit scheduled for November 18 and 19 in Rio de Janeiro is expected to culminate in decisions and commitments aimed at addressing pressing global issues, including hunger and economic inequalities.
