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What’s new from the 19th G20 Summit in Brazil?
Having worked in the presidential «Kremlin» pool of journalists, the author has repeatedly observed such summits firsthand. Each time the question arose: what do these meetings of twenty leaders contribute to the world and to their own countries? Typically, at such events, positions are adjusted, there are numerous discussions, but no concrete decisions are made that really affect the global situation. So why go through all this?
But we’re talking about those halcyon days when the G20 was doing what it was meant to do: economic and related matters. Debates about exchange rates and the fight against hunger didn’t escalate into verbal skirmishes or one country condemning another. The dominance of the G7 was unquestioned.
It’s a different story with the summits of recent years, when tectonic geopolitical shifts began and Western countries tried to replace the economic agenda with a political one. It turned out that even the process of coordinating positions and adopting final declarations is becoming an important process for the world, because it prevents a slide into uncontrolled confrontation and allows the political will of the majority — although not the dominant one — to be recorded. This political will doesn’t have to be implemented, but it signals trends in world politics.
So, if in 2022 in Bali it was possible to ostracize the head of the Russian delegation, Sergey Lavrov, and at last year’s summit in Delhi to insert as many as seven «Ukrainian» passages unfavorable to Russia into the final declaration, things were different in Brazil. Regarding Ukraine, there was only one point, and the President of France didn’t hesitate to shake hands with Sergey Lavrov and was eager to talk to him. By the way, Moscow fully agreed with the «Ukrainian» paragraph of the communiqué, as it calls for the settlement of the conflict and taking into account the realities.
All in all, the current final declaration demonstrated the fatigue of the «collective South» with the politicization of such summits by the collective West. Some observers explain this by a purely technical moment: the absence of the leaders of some Western countries, including the US President, in the room at the time of its adoption. With a contrived grievance, they tend to blame the chairman — Brazilian President Lula da Silva — for allegedly putting the declaration to a vote prematurely, before it had been discussed. Or perhaps he helped them save face in a situation where the majority of the G20 is tired of the politicization and «Ukrainization» of every international event?
A telling embarrassment occurred at the end of the summit. U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn’t make the group photo. According to AP, they were strolling after a bilateral meeting during the photo session. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was also missing. Was it an accident?
Commenting on the process of agreeing on the communiqué, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the West tried to «Ukrainize the whole agenda», but none of the countries of the global South supported this. «We and our colleagues from developing countries stressed that the text should contain provisions on all conflicts», Lavrov said. According to the minister, Western countries «reluctantly» agreed to mention the Middle East: «There were attempts to place this paragraph after Ukraine, but we didn’t even need to emphasize the rejection of such juggling, because the countries of the global South categorically refused to downplay the importance [of the Middle East conflict]».
The fact remains. The 85-point communiqué adopted at the end of the summit focuses on key issues, such as countries’ commitments to accelerate the transition to clean and affordable energy, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals developed at the UN in 2015. Central attention is given to the reform of international institutions: the UN Security Council, the WTO and others-all to «create an effectively functioning system for resolving disputes between states».
Yes, again, it’s not a legally binding document. But it indicates a shift in emphasis in world politics — specifically, a shift away from politics and toward the real economy. It is a manifestation of the will of the majority. In addition to the direct members of the «twenty», another 22 entities participated in the event, mainly from the Global South, including representatives from Angola, Bolivia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
A real and tangible outcome of the Summit was the creation of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, initiated by Brazil. On November 18, at the opening of the forum, Brazilian President Lula da Silva noted — citing data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) — that the number of hungry people in the world will reach nearly 733 million in 2024. «Hunger and poverty are not caused by scarcity or natural phenomena, but by political choices that perpetuate the isolation of a significant part of humanity. We must put an end to this scourge that shames society», the Brazilian leader urged. In the end, 81 countries joined the initiative, including all permanent members of the G20 and 26 international organizations.
We must also mention Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech at the summit. He outlined China’s plan to promote sustainable development, which consists of eight specific areas. These include poverty alleviation, support for southern countries, and anti-corruption. Point number one is the joint construction of the Belt and Road. As Xi Jinping reported, based on the recently created 700 billion yuan ($96.7 billion) financing window and an additional 80 billion yuan ($11.1 billion) increase in the Silk Road Fund, China will further develop a three-dimensional connectivity network. This includes leading the construction of a «Green Silk Road» (including the development of new energy) and expanding the capabilities of the «Digital Silk Road». Isn’t this another blow to those who politicize the «twenty»?
A certain role in this process of depoliticizing the «twenty» summits was played by the chairmanship of the BRICS members: India in 2023 and Brazil in 2024. In the latter case, the central themes of the forum were far from politics — the fight against poverty and inequality, energy transition, and the reform of global international institutions. It seems that this process will continue as South Africa takes over the G20 presidency.
Already, the «twenty» have split into interest groups: the U.S. and other G7 countries alongside South Korea and Australia, the countries of the Global South, Russia, and China. In 2026, the G20 presidency will pass to the U.S. — specifically to the unpredictable Donald Trump, who doesn’t like international structures and prefers bilateral agreements. The future of the association is therefore uncertain.