Argentina's President Javier Milei announced on Monday that the country will not sign the hunger initiative that Brazil's President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva had hoped for. The other countries in the group have stated that they will support the initiative.
Thus, the first crack appeared in the loosely assembled group of 20 countries. Milei is far to the right politically, while Lula da Silva represents the left-wing forces in the G20. An already irritated relationship between the neighboring countries was worsened by the announcement.
Despite this, Brazil chose to formally launch the initiative, since a total of 81 countries have joined the fight against hunger.
Bilateral Meetings
Prior to the meeting, several heads of state and government took the opportunity to meet bilaterally. One of the more notable meetings was between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The world is currently entering a new era of turbulence and change, Xi said to Starmer, according to a statement.
Starmer, in turn, responded by emphasizing the importance of countries following international law, reports AFP.
Biden Expected
On the agenda are issues related to the ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. The parallel climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, is also expected to affect the meeting in Rio de Janeiro.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged the G20 countries to show leadership in the climate negotiations and push for an agreement in Baku.
US President Joe Biden has chosen to accept the meeting, which will be one of his last top meetings before power in the US is transferred to Donald Trump.
The G20 countries are meeting in Rio de Janeiro under Brazilian chairmanship.
Total, the G20 accounts for around 85 percent of the world's GDP and three-quarters of the world's trade. The countries also represent two-thirds of the world's population.
Members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Canada, China, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, and the USA. Additionally, the African Union and the EU are part of the summit, making the G20 group a total of 21 members.
Furthermore, 18 countries are formal guest countries, including Norway.
Sources: G20, AFP, and the World Economic Forum
