Guterres urges G20 leaders to tackle inequality, hunger and the climate crisis

On the sidelines of the General Assembly High-Level debate, for the first time in history, the G20 Foreign Ministers gathered at the United Nations Headquarters, bringing together the world's largest economies in an event open to all 193 UN member states.

The meeting took place today (25 Sep) in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) chamber, focusing on global governance reform, hunger, poverty, and sustainable development.

In his remarks, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, "It is shameful that in our world of plenty, around one person in ten regularly goes without food for an entire day or more – known as severe food insecurity.” He welcomed Brazil’s focus on global hunger during its G20 presidency and called on all G20 countries – and all UN Member States – “to strengthen efforts to end this affront to our common humanity.”

Guterres also stressed the need for decisive action on climate change. He said, “by 2030, global production and consumption of all fossil fuels must decline by at least thirty percent – and global renewables capacity must triple. This requires OECD countries to phase out coal by 2030 and to fully decarbonize power generation systems by 2035.”

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said, “the reform of the global financial architecture in particular must be the rising tide that lifts the fortunes of the most needy and vulnerable in the world. Deepening inequality and chronic underdevelopment are the cost if we fail to act now.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva highlighted the significance of the meeting taking place at the UN, saying that, “for the very first time in history, the G20 countries are gathered at the UNHQ in an event open to all members of the organization. This was not a trivial decision. It is coherent with our core belief that the United Nations are and must continue to be the heart of the multilateral system.”

Noting economic disparities, Lula da Silva added, “in 2022, the difference between the amounts paid by the developing world to foreign creditors and that which it received was $49 billion. There’s more money coming out of these countries than going in. Taxes on the super-rich is the way to fight inequality and to redirect resources to development priorities and climate action.”

At the meeting, the G20 members formally adopted a “Call to Action on Global Governance Reform” - a reform committed to strengthening the multilateral system and reforming and modernizing the main international organizations.