Brazil’s Lula spotlights Global South in G20 presidency

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has set his sights on giving the Global South a larger voice in world decision-making, using his country’s presidency this year of the G20 group of largest economies.
Lula’s call for reform of global governance and the updating of the eight-decades-old United Nations system was amplified at last week’s meeting of G20 foreign ministers in Rio de Janeiro. The push continues this week as G20 finance ministers meet in Sao Paulo.
However, diplomats said it would be an uphill battle to expand the U.N. Security Council, where countries with veto powers may pay lip service to the idea but have long delayed discussions that would dilute their status.
Lula, a leftist and well-established voice for the developing world, has set reducing hunger and poverty and curbing climate change as priorities under Brazil’s G20 presidency.