Statement by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during the Meeting with Delegates to the G-20 Ministerial Meeting

Brasília, 12 December, 2003


I wish to begin by congratulating you, G-20 Heads of Delegation, for all the effort you put into flying to Brazil to take part in the debates regarding the future of our countries and our trade relations.

I really understand how you do feel, since I am also jet-lagged having just returned from an official travel to Arab countries.

I am aware of all the difficulties involved in traveling to Brazil and also the agenda conflicts you have to manage to be with us today in Brasília. Nevertheless, I am sure that you will return to your capitals reassured about the importance of our coordination efforts with a view to achieving a more balanced outcome for the Doha Round and for the future of the WTO itself.

The G-20’s strength lies in its commitment to the Doha Round negotiating mandate, on its constructive proposals and on its political legitimacy. Our countries are responsible for more than 22% of world agricultural output and comprise 70% of all world farmers. 60% of the world population lives in the member countries of the Group.

Endowed with legitimacy and representativeness, the G-20 is changing the dynamics of multilateral trade diplomacy. In view of the firmness of the actions of its members and its collective vision, the G-20 helps to prevent the parameters of the agriculture debate in the WTO from being imposed by the protectionist interests of a few members.

The G-20 has been able to mainstream to the negotiating agenda simultaneously the perspective of competitive producers from the developing world and the interests of rural workers that depend on small farming and that play a fundamental role in our economies.

The G-20 seeks to achieve a balanced combination between family farming and agribusiness, between social and entrepreneurial interests. From a developing country perspective, to balance the two terms of this equation is a fundamental and essential requirement in any trade discussion. We need truly open and balanced international trade. We cannot desist from promoting development with social justice.

The G-20 positions aim at putting an end to the current distortions of agricultural trade and, as a consequence, will bring better living conditions to billions of farmers in the world. We fight for the elimination of all forms of export subsidies, as well as substantial cuts to trade-distorting domestic support.

We also wish to improve access conditions to developed countries markets. In order to do so, we expect that WTO members to be effectively ready to undertake the responsibilities derived from the Doha mandate. Indeed, we have already waited for far too long.

On behalf of the most vulnerable sectors of our societies, of those that still face hunger in our countries, we need to stand united to make international trade rules fairer and in order to translate our competitiveness into real benefits.

We feel proud and satisfied by G-20 engagement in the Doha Round negotiations. For sure, this is the sentiment prevailing in my country. We are confident that our articulation will inspire similar actions not limited to defending our common interests in international fora, but also regarding our reciprocal exchanges with a view to intensifying South-South trade.

We will have an opportunity to explore new ideas and to plan new actions during UNCTAD XI, to be held in June 2004, in São Paulo. We could avail ourselves of the conference to launch a new negotiating round under the General System of Trade Preferences (GSTP).

I believe, however, that we can be more daring and consider the launching of a free trade area between G-20 members, also open to other developing countries. As a matter of fact, many of our countries are already engaged individually or collectively in similar processes in South America, Africa and Asia.

MERCOSUR, for its part, is already negotiating with India and South Africa. Furthermore, there are ongoing initiatives in each of our regions. So, why not try to extend this logic to its natural consequences and think in terms of a large free trade area among countries from the South? This is not to leave aside the developed countries markets, which will continue to play a fundamental role. The idea is to explore to the fullest the potential amongst us and that is independent of concessions from rich countries. I ask you to consider carefully these ideas and, who knows, we can turn UNCTAD XI into a truly historic Conference for developing countries.

Thanks to our meeting, the voice of the G-20 is heard not only in the WTO, but also is amplified in all debates on the furthering of multilateralism. Our allies are numerous, including in the developed world, where a growing number of non-governmental organizations and interlocutors support our work and associate themselves to our views.

Hand in hand, we will achieve new and important victories to the benefit not only of our self-interests but also for the democratization of international relations.

Many thanks. I hope we continue to make strides to the point in where we will achieve effective free trade so as to benefit the poorest of the poor through trade relations among our countries.

Many thanks, again, and good luck!

Brasília, 12 December, 2003.