Rio de Janeiro: As the curtains were drawn on the 19th G20 Leaders Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the collective aspiration of the participants was the implementation of key resolutions that would change the face of the world.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the G20 leaders, in their final declaration, called for a ceasefire in Gaza, advocating taxing the super-rich, promoting Artificial Intelligence (AI), and gender equality. The global representatives reaffirmed that all states must act consistently with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter in its entirety, emphasizing the importance of refraining from the threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state.
The leaders declared their united support for a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza, in compliance with the UN Security Council Resolution No. 2735, and in Lebanon, allowing citizens to safely return home on both sides of the Blue Line. They affirm
ed the Palestinian right to self-determination and reiterated their commitment to a two-state solution, envisioning Israel and a Palestinian state living side by side in peace.
In an effort to create an equitable world, the G20 leaders proposed effective taxation of ultra-high-net-worth individuals, respecting fiscal sovereignty. They suggested achieving this through cooperation, involving the exchange of best practices, stimulating debate on tax principles, and developing mechanisms against tax evasion, including addressing potentially harmful tax practices.
Amid multifaceted crises, with political and geopolitical tensions threatening the ability to tackle challenges such as promoting growth, reducing poverty, and combating climate change, the G20 leaders advocated multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow and strengthening global governance for present and future generations. The final declaration stated that ‘there will be no sustainability or prosperity without peace’ and recalled that the G20 was b
orn out of financial and economic crises.
The rapid advancement of AI was a significant concern, with global leaders urging the safe, secure, and trustworthy development, deployment, and use of AI. They insisted that AI deployment should guarantee human rights protection, transparency, explainability, fairness, accountability, regulation, and safety, along with addressing appropriate human oversight, ethics, biases, privacy, data protection, and data governance.
The G20 leaders also reiterated their total commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, promoting equality in paid and unpaid care work to ensure the full and meaningful participation of women in the economy. This commitment is aimed at promoting social and gender co-responsibility and challenging gender norms that hinder the equitable distribution and redistribution of care responsibilities.
The summit highlighted the 2024 motto: ‘Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet,’ focusing on reducing inequalities and f
ostering socially just and environmentally sustainable actions. Environmental protection was a key focus, with a renewed commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by mid-century and significantly increasing renewable energy and global energy efficiency by 2030.
The leaders launched the Global Task Force for Climate Change Mobilisation to strengthen climate financing, especially in developing countries, and inaugurated the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty to promote strategies like income transfers, school feeding programs, and access to microcredit for the poor and vulnerable.
The declaration reinforced the need to modernize the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to promote a rule-based, fair, and sustainable multilateral trading system. The G20 countries advocated for an expanded composition of the Security Council to enhance the representation of underrepresented and unrepresented regions and groups.
President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria expressed his agreement, stressing that the Security Council shou
ld expand its permanent and non-permanent member categories to reflect the world’s diversity and plurality better, with Africa deserving priority in this process. Nigeria stands ready to serve as a representative of Africa in this capacity.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil emphasized the G20 members’ power and responsibility to transform lives across the world, encouraging the fostering of entrepreneurship and economic autonomy for women. The declarations of the G20 leaders, if implemented, hold the potential to significantly alter the global landscape.