G20: Key points from the summit's final declaration

22-page document addresses wars in Ukraine and Gaza, advocates taxing super-rich, and covers topics like artificial intelligence and gender equality The G20 leaders reached a consensus on the final declaration at the summit in Rio de Janeiro. The 22-page document discusses "peace" in Ukraine, calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, advocates for taxing the super-rich, and covers topics such as artificial intelligence and gender equality. G20 Social: Final statement advocates taxing the ultra-wealthy and condemns far-right misinformation Fun in Rio: 20 paired activities for the G20 holiday weekend in Rio de Janeiro Conflicts Regarding ongoing conflicts and wars, the G20 reaffirms that all states must act consistently with the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter in its entirety, stating that all states "must refrain from the threat or use of force to seek territorial acquisition against the territorial integrity and sovereignty or political independence of any state." "We affirm that all parties must comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and in this respect, we condemn all attacks against civilians and infrastructure," the text states. The text places more emphasis on the war in Gaza than in Ukraine and proposes a ceasefire in the Middle East. "We are united in support of a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza, in compliance with UN Security Council Resolution No. 2735, and in Lebanon, allowing citizens to safely return home on both sides of the Blue Line," the text states. The leaders express "deep concern" over the "catastrophic" humanitarian situation in Gaza and the escalation in Lebanon, emphasizing the "urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance" and enhance civilian protection, demanding the removal of all barriers to humanitarian assistance on a large scale. It also advocates for a two-state solution. "Affirming the Palestinian right to self-determination, we reiterate our unwavering commitment to the vision of a two-state solution, where Israel and a Palestinian state live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders, consistent with international law and relevant UN resolutions," the text states. Super-rich A key agenda for Brazil at the G20, the taxation of the super-rich is mentioned once. The text states that fiscal sovereignty must be respected, yet the group will seek to ensure that ultra-high-net-worth individuals are "effectively taxed." The text endorses the G20 Rio de Janeiro Ministerial Declaration on International Tax Cooperation and advocates for progressive taxation. "With full respect for fiscal sovereignty, we seek to engage cooperatively to ensure that ultra-high-net-worth individuals are effectively taxed. Cooperation may involve exchanging best practices, stimulating debate on tax principles, and developing mechanisms against tax evasion, including addressing potentially harmful tax practices," the declaration states. Multilateralism The declaration states that "there will be no sustainability or prosperity without peace" and recalls that the G20 was born out of financial and economic crises. Now, the text states, the world faces "a multifaceted crisis, where political and geopolitical tensions threaten our ability to tackle challenges such as promoting growth, reducing poverty, and combating climate change." The declaration asserts that the challenges the global community faces today "can only be addressed through multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow and strengthening global governance for present and future generations." Artificial Intelligence The declaration by heads of state states that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence promises prosperity and the expansion of the global digital economy. "To ensure the safe, secure, and trustworthy development, deployment, and use of AI, human rights protection, transparency and explainability, fairness, accountability, regulation, safety, appropriate human oversight, ethics, biases, privacy, data protection, and data governance must be addressed," the global leaders' final text states. Gender The G20 reaffirmed its commitment to the 2030 Agenda, highlighting that only 17% of the Sustainable Development Goals targets are on track. The text also cites the "total commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls," a point to which Argentina had reservations. "We commit to promoting gender equality in paid and unpaid care work to ensure the full and meaningful participation of women in the economy, promoting social and gender co-responsibility, encouraging and facilitating the equal involvement of men and boys in care work, and challenging gender norms that hinder equitable distribution and redistribution of care responsibilities," the text states. The summit highlighted the 2024 motto: "Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet," focusing on reducing inequalities and fostering socially just and environmentally sustainable actions. Climate Action and Energy Transition The declaration renews commitments to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century and to significantly increase renewable energy and global energy efficiency by 2030. The summit also launched the Global Task Force for Climate Change Mobilization to strengthen climate financing, especially in developing countries. The declaration states that countries will strive to mobilize new and additional financing from all sources for forests, including concessional and "innovative" financing for developing countries. It encourages innovative mechanisms aimed at mobilizing new and diverse sources of financing to pay for ecosystem services. It also reaffirms the G20's ambition to voluntarily reduce land degradation by 50% by 2040. The countries also pledge to take steps to prevent, manage, and address the negative impacts of extreme droughts and wildfires. Combatting Poverty and Hunger The G20 Summit launched the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, promoting strategies like income transfers, school feeding programs, and access to microcredit, which are mentioned in the document. Global Trade The document reinforces the need to modernize the World Trade Organization (WTO), promoting a rules-based, fair, and sustainable multilateral trading system. The G20 supports a reform in the dispute resolution system accessible to all members and highlighted the role of trade in inclusive economic growth. "Ensuring level playing fields and fair competition consistent with WTO rules is essential to guarantee prosperity and foster a conducive environment for trade and investment for all. We reiterate the centrality of the WTO's development dimension," the text states. UN Security Council The text also states that G20 countries commit to modifying "the Security Council through a transformative reform that aligns it with the realities and demands of the 21st century, making it more representative, inclusive, efficient, effective, democratic, and accountable, and more transparent to the entire UN community, enabling a better distribution of responsibilities among all its members while improving the effectiveness and transparency of its working methods. We advocate for an expanded composition of the Security Council to enhance the representation of underrepresented and unrepresented regions and groups, such as Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean." Health The text further highlights the need for resilient health systems, sustainable financing, and equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments, especially for neglected diseases. The creation of a Coalition for Local and Regional Production seeks to expand access to health technologies. The translation of this text into english was carried out by Project Irineu, O GLOBO's initiative to develop artificial intelligence tools. Here is the link to the original report.