Ahead of G20 Summit in Brazil, Guterres urges bloc to take the lead on peace, climate and other challenges

António Guterres was speaking to reporters on the eve of the opening of the G20 Leaders' Summit in the Brazilian city.

‘A simple message’

“I have come to Rio with a simple message: G20 leaders must lead,” he said.

“G20 countries – by definition – have tremendous economic clout. They wield massive diplomatic leverage. They must use it to tackle key global problems.”

Mr. Guterres arrived in Rio from the COP29 UN climate conference underway in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Race against challenges

He stressed the need for countries to “race much faster to tackle fundamental common challenges” such as the climate crisis, raging conflicts, rising impunity, growing inequality, and stalled progress in addressing hunger and poverty.

Moreover, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are off-track, new technologies offer both unprecedented potential for both good and bad, and “our inability to tackle these challenges and more is eroding peoples’ faith in governments and institutions.”

He recalled that in September, UN Member States adopted the Pact for the Future to help strengthen multilateralism and advance the SDGs.

‘Step up for peace’

Mr. Guterres said “we must step up for peace” in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine and Sudan.

“Everywhere, peace requires actions grounded in the values of the UN Charter, the rule of law, and the principles of sovereignty, political independence and the territorial integrity of States,” he said.

‘Unfair’ international financial system

Turning to finance, the Secretary-General highlighted the situation of vulnerable countries which “face tremendous headwinds and obstacles that are not of their making.”

They are not getting adequate support from the current international financial architecture, which he described as “outdated, ineffective and unfair.”

He said the Pact for the Future calls for ambitious reforms to make the system more representative of today’s global economy and the needs of developing and vulnerable nations.

“This includes expanding the voice and representation of developing countries in international financial institutions,” he added.

Furthermore, the Pact also calls for other measures such as substantially increasing the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks, promoting more inclusive tax cooperation, and exploring all forms of innovative finance.

“The global community is looking to the G20 to deliver on these agreements,” he said.

COP29 concerns

On climate, the Secretary-General voiced concern over the state of negotiations at COP29, noting that countries must agree to an ambitious climate finance goal that meets the scale of the challenge faced by developing countries.

This is crucial for building trust between developed and developing countries and incentivizing the preparation of high ambition national climate plans next year, he explained.

“I will appeal to the sense of responsibility of all G20 countries. Now is the time for leadership by example from the world’s largest economies and emitters. Failure is not an option,” he said.

Mr. Guterres insisted that a successful outcome is still within reach, but will require leadership and compromise from the G20.

The heat is on

He warned that countries’ current climate policies are pushing the world to a disastrous 3.1-degree Celsius global temperature rise by the end of the century, when the target is 1.5 degrees.

G20 nations account for 80 per cent of global emissions and “must lead with national climate plans that follow the guidance they agreed to last year - 1.5 degrees aligned, whole of economy and all greenhouse gases,” he said.

The Secretary-General also highlighted other action required, including for developed countries to keep their commitment to double adaptation finance. He also highlighted the need to fight disinformation around climate change “ranging from outright denial to greenwashing to harassment of climate scientists.”

In this regard, the UN is launching the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change together with Brazil and the Organization’s education and science agency, UNESCO.

Equitable access to tech

For his final point, the Secretary-General highlighted the Global Digital Compact adopted at the UN Summit of the Future.

It includes the first universal agreement on Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance “that brings every country to the table,” he said.

The Compact further calls for an independent international Scientific Panel on AI, initiating a global dialogue on its governance within the UN, and innovative voluntary financing so that developing countries can build AI capacity.

‘Seize every opportunity’

The Secretary-General noted that while there are many challenges facing the world, many possible solutions also exist, and “the G20 must lead by example."

This is fundamental to restoring trust, credibility, and legitimacy of every government and our global system in the current turbulent times, he said.

“We need to seize every opportunity to lead transformative action for a safer, more peaceful and sustainable world,” he concluded.