Activities of Secretary-General in Brazil, 16-19 November
The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, arrived in Rio de Janeiro from Baku, Azerbaijan, early on Saturday morning, 16 November. He was in Brazil to attend the annual Group of 20 (G20) meeting, as he does every year.
A few hours after his arrival, the Secretary-General held a bilateral meeting with Luiz Inácio da Silva, President of Brazil. They discussed the importance of strengthening multilateralism, reforming the international financial architecture and addressing pressing global challenges.
The Secretary-General and the President agreed on the urgency to implement decisive measures to tackle climate change. They reiterated the need for Member States to raise the ambition to ensure the success of the twenty-ninth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) and COP30, as well as commit to nationally determined contributions, aligned with 1.5°C.
The Secretary-General expressed appreciation for Brazil’s significant contributions to the global agenda.
On Sunday morning, the Secretary-General held a meeting with the UN country team. Soon after, he had a bilateral meeting with Prabowo Subianto, President of Indonesia.
The Secretary-General expressed his appreciation for Indonesia’s active role on matters of regional and global interest, including its contributions to United Nations peacekeeping. They discussed the need for a reform of the international financial architecture, as well as strong national climate action plans and agreement on a new ambitious finance goal at COP29.
On Sunday afternoon, speaking to the media, the Secretary-General stressed that G20 leaders must lead and use their tremendous economic clout and diplomatic leverage to tackle key global problems on peace, finance and climate. Concerned about the pace of the negotiations at the COP29 in Baku, he stressed that countries must agree to an ambitious climate finance goal that meets the scale of the challenge faced by developing countries.
The Secretary-General said that a successful outcome at COP29 was within reach, but it would require leadership and compromise from G20 countries.
That evening, Mr. Guterres attended a cocktail reception hosted by Ilan Goldfajn, President of the Inter‑American Development Bank.
On Monday morning, at the G20, the Secretary-General attended the Launch of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty. Soon after, he addressed a session on Social Inclusion and the Fight against Hunger and Poverty.
The Secretary-General said that in our world of plenty, hunger and poverty should have no place, but almost 700 million people today live below the international extreme poverty. These are human beings, he noted, young and old, women and men, being denied the most basic of all needs.
Yet, the Secretary-General said, we know it is possible to get back on track. He highlighted that around the world, we can transform food systems to make them more inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
Finance, the Secretary-General said — both public and private investments — is fundamental to eradicating poverty, hunger and inequality. He stressed the need for G20 Governments to help implement the Pact for the Future’s commitment to increasing the lending capacity of multilateral development banks.
The session was followed by a working lunch and then a family photo.
Later in the afternoon, the Secretary-General addressed a session on Reform of Global Governance Institutions. He warned that we face a global governance deficit and a global trust deficit, with poverty, inequalities, and the climate crisis getting worse, and peace getting further out of reach.
The Secretary-General emphasized that we need global solutions rooted in the Charter of the United Nations, but our institutions are not keeping up. He urged G20 countries to lead, reiterating that many decisions are exclusively in their hands. See Press Release SG/SM/22463.
In the evening, the Secretary-General attended a reception hosted by the President of Brazil and his spouse, Mrs. Janja Lula da Silva.
On Tuesday morning, the last day of the G20, the Secretary-General addressed a session on Sustainable Development and Energy Transition. Once again, he warned that our climate is at a breaking point, and unless we limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C, spiraling disasters will devastate every economy.
The Secretary-General stressed that we must get on track for the 1.5°C limit, with countries accelerating their near-term emissions cuts. That way, we can reduce global emissions by nine per cent every year this decade. Right now, he added, they’re still rising.
The Secretary-General noted that the next round of national climate action plans is essential to putting the world on the right path. In relation to COP29, he asked countries to instruct ministers and negotiators to agree on a new ambitious climate finance goal this year.
The Secretary-General stressed that failure is not an option and warned that this would inevitably make the success of COP30 in Brazil more difficult. See Press Release SG/SM/22464.
In the afternoon, the Secretary-General left Brazil to travel back to Baku, where COP29 was taking place.