G20 Radio Bulletin 150 - The G20 Social Summit is not the end, but the beginning: social participation is an incontestable legacy of Brasil's G20 presidency

The country that has already hosted Eco-92 and the first edition of the World Social Forum again translates several languages into a standard message. Without listening to organized civil society, there is no chance of a more just world and sustainable planet. Listen to the report and learn more.

Report: Franciéli Barcellos / Laura Carrasco Frederico

Reporter: In a very different scenario from the G20 ministerial meetings, national flags were replaced by banners of movements, suits, and ties gave way to caps bearing various acronyms, and the clamor of democracy replaced the formal silence. 

In a warehouse in the port area of Rio de Janeiro, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of Brasil, representing the largest economies in the world, received the G20 Social Final Declaration, prepared by the engagement groups and social movements. A historic text calling for ambitious commitments to overcome profound global challenges.

On the stage, side by side, were authorities and social movements' representatives. Watching the act, more than five thousand people accompanied President Lula, affirming that the G20 Social Summit is not the end of a process but the beginning of a new stage. 

Lula: The economy and international politics are not the monopoly of specialists or bureaucrats. They are not only in the offices of the New York Stock Exchange or the São Paulo Stock Exchange, nor only in the offices of Washington, Beijing, Brussels, or Brasília. They are part of the daily lives of each of us.

Reporter: The receipt of the G20 Social Declaration occurred after months of agendas and activities in the Rio de Janeiro port area, with hundreds of self-managed activities and more than 37,000 people present. Summarizing the priority themes of the G20 presidency, President Lula mentioned the fight against hunger as an urgent global agenda.

Lula: The G20 has to happen every day in our daily lives because there are 733 million people who go to bed every night without anything to eat. In the last year, the world spent 2.4 trillion dollars on weapons and almost nothing on providing food for people who need to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Reporter:  On behalf of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ronald Lamola, stated that Brasil has raised the standard of a G20 presidency and assured South Africa is ready to take on the challenge of a G20 Social. 

*Translated by PGET-UFSC