Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is set to introduce a new initiative on Wednesday aimed at combating global hunger.
This move comes ahead of the G20 finance ministers’ meeting in Rio de Janeiro.
Addressing world hunger has become a central theme of Brazil’s G20 presidency, alongside proposals for taxing the super-rich. These issues will dominate discussions during the finance ministers’ summit later this week.
The President emphasized the necessity of a collective international effort to tackle inequality, hunger, and poverty, stating that such battles require cooperation from multiple countries ready to accept this significant challenge.
A recent UN report indicates that last year, 733 million people, or 9% of the global population, experienced hunger.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a video message accompanying the report’s release, declared that solving this crisis hinges on financing, stressing that hunger should have no place in the 21st century.
The initiative the president is championing, known as the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, aims to gather shared financial resources and replicate locally successful programs globally.
The upcoming finance ministers’ meeting is one of the last before the G20 summit scheduled for November in Rio.
Earlier in the year, at a meeting in Sao Paulo, discussions focused on methods to tax the ultra-wealthy and prevent tax evasion, drawing on the expertise of French economist Gabriel Zucman.
This initiative has received support from several countries and regional bodies, though achieving consensus remains challenging.
Brazil’s Economy Minister Fernando Haddad reported a stalemate in discussions in February, and the German Finance Ministry recently indicated a lack of agreement on the issue.
Additionally, during a G7 finance meeting in Italy in May, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen expressed opposition to international negotiations on taxing the super-rich, suggesting that tax solutions should vary across different jurisdictions.
