Rio de Janeiro – Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa held a high-level bilateral meeting on Sunday during the G20 Summit. The leaders addressed critical global issues, including social equity, environmental preservation, and wealth taxation, while reinforcing strategic cooperation between their nations.
The meeting, marking Ramaphosa’s first bilateral engagement with a head of state at the G20, took place as Brazil prepares to hand over the G20 presidency to South Africa in 2025. Lula emphasized the importance of sustaining initiatives launched under Brazil’s leadership, particularly the G20 Social agenda, which focuses on reducing inequality worldwide.
Joining the conversation were several high-ranking Brazilian officials, including Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, Finance Minister Fernando Haddad, Agriculture Minister Carlos Fávaro, and Innovation and Management Minister Esther Dweck. Lula’s special advisor Celso Amorim and Márcio Elias Rosa, executive secretary of the Ministry of Development, Industry, and Trade, were also present.
The two leaders pledged to revitalize the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBAS) forum, a trilateral partnership of democracies from the Global South. Discussions also touched on Brazil’s upcoming leadership of the BRICS bloc, which is expected to meet in Brazil next year. Lula expressed Brazil’s willingness to share its experiences as G20 chair, ensuring a smooth transition for South Africa’s presidency.
A significant portion of the dialogue revolved around climate action and economic justice. The leaders underscored the urgency of securing adequate financing for environmental preservation in developing countries. Both advocated for systemic reforms to ensure wealth distribution, supporting a proposed 2% tax on the world’s 3,000 wealthiest individuals, whose combined assets exceed $15 trillion.
“This is about fairness,” Lula said, emphasizing that the revenue could be redirected to address pressing global challenges such as poverty alleviation and climate resilience.
Ramaphosa reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to advancing the initiatives launched during Brazil’s G20 presidency. “Our nations share a responsibility to champion justice and equity on the global stage,” Ramaphosa noted.
The meeting solidified the role of Brazil and South Africa as pivotal players in the Global South, poised to drive sustainable and inclusive growth while advocating for structural reforms in international governance.
