The foreign ministers of the G20 round of leading and emerging economic powers want to discuss reform of international institutions this Thursday. At the group’s meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) said on Wednesday that the modernization of international financial institutions was at the top of the G20’s agenda. The countries most affected by the climate crisis paid the highest interest rates. “This is deeply unfair, and it is also more than counterproductive in terms of economic policy,” criticized Baerbock.
The risk of natural disasters drives up the financing costs, especially in island states such as Fiji and the Philippines, to an immeasurable extent, said Baerbock. “It is precisely then that they can no longer make the necessary financial and economic investments.” That is why stronger and more efficient development banks are needed that put climate protection at the center of their work.
In addition to Germany, France and the USA, the G20 round also includes Russia and China, among others. The group represents around 80 percent of the world’s economic power and 60 percent of the world’s population. Brazil currently holds the presidency.
Lula’s goal: restructuring the international system
A restructuring of the international system is one of the declared goals of the Brazilian G20 presidency. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva recently criticized the UN Security Council as untrustworthy and accused international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank of interfering too heavily in the internal affairs of creditor countries. Lula sees Brazil as the mouthpiece of the Global South and wants to make the emerging countries more heard.
Baerbock to Lavrov: End the war now
Baerbock addressed her Russian colleague Sergei Lavrov directly at the first working session in Rio on Wednesday afternoon (local time) and called for an end to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. “If you care about human lives, if you care about your own people, Russian children and young people, you must end this war now,” she said. “If Russia were to end this war now, the path to peace and justice tomorrow would be wide open,” she added.
In the G20 round, Lavrov sat to the right of his Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud and to the left of Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena Ibarra. The Italian representative sat next to the Mexican, then came Baerbock.
Addressing the other members of the group, Baerbock said: “Russia’s aggression is more than a regional conflict.” Russia’s war of aggression “calls on all of us to resolutely defend the fundamental principles that protect us all: the United Nations Charter, international law and human rights. These principles protect all nations, no matter how large or small.”
Call for a ceasefire – “Humanity is indivisible”
Against the background of widespread criticism of Israel’s military action against the Islamist Hamas and the humanitarian suffering of the civilian population in Gaza, Baerbock called for a humanitarian pause so that we could work towards a sustainable ceasefire. She urged her listeners to see the pain on both sides and to recognize “that humanity is indivisible.” Therefore, a solution is needed that enables Palestinians and Israelis to live side by side peacefully and in security – in two states.
Baerbock travels to the UN
On Thursday afternoon, the Federal Foreign Minister wanted to travel from Rio to New York. Several events were planned there on Friday to mark the second anniversary of the Russian attack on Ukraine on February 24th, in which Baerbock wanted to take part. She wanted to speak at meetings of the General Assembly and the Security Council. A conversation with UN Secretary-General António Guterres was also planned.
There should also be an exchange of views with the former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna. Colonna is leading an independent group of experts examining allegations against employees of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Some employees of the aid organization are accused of being involved in the terrorist acts carried out by the Islamist Hamas on October 7th in Israel. Several Western countries have temporarily suspended payments to UNRWA because of the allegations, including the two largest donors, the United States and Germany.
