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G20 Rio Summit
Road to the 2024 G20 Rio Summit

The G20 Summit Has Defined Its Agenda: The Focus Will Be on Social Inclusion, Global Reform, and Sustainability

November 9, 2024

Ambassador Mauricio Lyrio, sherpa of Brasil at the G20, presented the details of the G20 Leaders' Summit, which will take place on November 18 and 19, 2024, in Rio de Janeiro. The event will be the global focus of discussions on social inclusion, global governance reform, and energy transitions.

The 2024 G20 Leaders' Summit will be held on November 18 and 19 at the Museum of Modern Art (MAM) in Rio de Janeiro, a fundamental event for the future of global governance. The Sherpa of Brasil at the G20, Ambassador Mauricio Lyrio, conducted a briefing in Brasília, where he detailed the agenda of the Summit, highlighting the main topics that will be on the table: social inclusion, reform of international institutions, and energy transitions.

The opening ceremony of the Summit, on November 18, will feature the launch of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, a Brazilian initiative aimed at mobilizing countries and international organizations to accelerate efforts in the fight against hunger and poverty by 2030. The Alliance will be one of the main highlights of the event, and according to Lyrio, it already has a significant number of members, which is expected to grow.

“There is a mobilization of countries to achieve more effective results in the fight against hunger to what has been established as goals of the sustainable development goals," explained the ambassador. 

In the afternoon, the focus of the discussion—which will be restricted to heads of state—will be the global governance reform, a central theme in Brasil's G20 presidency. The proposal is to discuss how to modernize the main international institutions, such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization, so that they reflect contemporary realities and promote fairer and more efficient governance. “Reform of international financial institutions, basically the set of institutions born with Bretton Woods,” explained Lyrio.

The debate on energy transitions is scheduled for the morning of November 19. The world is facing an unprecedented climate crisis, and the G20 countries, which represent the majority of carbon emissions, will discuss strategies to promote a greener and more sustainable global economy. Brasil, which has positioned itself as a leader on environmental issues in the global agenda, advocates for an approach that takes local realities and access to clean energy sources into account.

"And, to our satisfaction, it was possible to unblock the decision-making process at the ministerial level, and we are now in the consideration process. We reached 41 approved documents at the ministerial level. Then, it was possible to unlock the decision process of the ministers and to have, throughout the Brazilian presidency, a series of results that add to the broader results of the established priorities," said Lyrio.

Leaders' Statement

The leaders' declaration includes a message on promoting peace in global conflicts, especially the war in Ukraine and the issue of Palestine. " It is the message that we need to achieve peace, not only regarding this conflict but also all conflicts, which, in fact, reinforces the Brazilian priority of reforming global governance. We need to have peace so that we can focus on political attention and financial resources on what should be the highest goals of the international community, which are the fight against poverty and the promotion of sustainable development, including tackling climate change," said the ambassador.

"The leaders' declaration is fundamental because it consolidates the results of the country's presidency and, at the same time, expands the scope, because leaders can go further. However, unlike previous presidencies, the Brazilian presidency has already generated many results and decisions throughout its year," he said.

The world is facing an unprecedented climate crisis, and the G20 countries, which represent the majority of carbon emissions, will discuss strategies to promote a greener and more sustainable global economy. Brasil, which has positioned itself as a leader on environmental issues in the global agenda, advocates for an approach that takes local realities and access to clean energy sources into account.

On November 19, the last day of the summit, there will be a ceremony to hand over the G20 presidency from Brasil to South Africa, symbolizing the continuity of discussions and the G20 rotating leadership. South Africa will assume the presidency in 2025, and the ceremony will mark the transition of leadership between the two countries, establishing a link between global issues and the specific challenges of the African continent.

G20 Social

President Lula will attend the closing of the G20 Social Summit on November 16, with the participation of the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa. "The South African president, to our satisfaction, is pleased with the social events and has already said that he will also introduce this experience during his presidency," said Lyrio. 

The G20 Social, coordinated by the General Secretariat of the Presidency (SGPR), is an unprecedented initiative created by Brasil's G20 presidency. The goal is to increase the presence of social and non-governmental participants in the discussions for decisions to be made at the G20 Leaders' Summit, which will address three key axes that Brasil's government has chosen: the fight against hunger, poverty, and inequality; sustainability, climate change, and just transition; and global governance reform.

The leaders' declaration is fundamental because it consolidates the results of the country's presidency and, at the same time, expands the scope, because leaders can go further. However, unlike previous presidencies, the Brazilian presidency has already generated many results and decisions throughout its year," he said.

The G20 Social Summit is the culmination of the social participation process envisioned by President Lula in December 2023, when Brasil assumed the group's annual presidency. Since then, the G20 Social has provided a space for the diverse voices of both Brazilian and international civil society. For the first time, it has also facilitated meetings between the political and financial tracks of the world leaders' summit and the engagement groups and leaders of social movements.

Scheduled Program for the G20 Summit 

:: November 18 (Monday)

8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.: Arrival of the leaders and reception by the President of the Republic and the First Lady

10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Launch of the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty

1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.: Work Lunch 

2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Session 2: Global Governance Reform

6 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Official Reception for the leaders by President Lula and the First Lady 

:: November 19 (Tuesday)

10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Session 3: Sustainable Development and Energy Transitions

1 p.m. to 3 p.m.: Closing Session and Ceremony for the Handover of the G20 Presidency from Brasil to South Africa

3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Official Lunch

Afternoon (after lunch): Bilateral meetings between leaders