Lula: G20 and COP 30 are portraits of the vitality of multilateralism

President spoke to journalists after a leaders’ summit in South Africa and announced that the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur should be signed on December 20

Defense of multilateralism within the G20 as a path to solving global problems. Discussions about tools to reduce inequalities and food insecurity. Debates on the uses and challenges facing artificial intelligence, the energy transition, the use of critical minerals and decent work. This Sunday (23/11), in Johannesburg, President Lula took stock of his visit to the G20 Summit in South Africa.

In the conversation with journalists, Lula also celebrated the result of COP 30, concluded this Saturday (22/11), in Belém (PA), with a final text approved by consensus by the 195 parties and the announcement of new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 122 nations.

“If anyone imagined that it could weaken multilateralism, these events, both at the COP and at the G20 here in South Africa, demonstrate that multilateralism is more than alive”, commented Lula, who also looked at geopolitics in the Caribbean and announced that the agreement between Mercosur and the European Union will be signed in December

Over the two-day event, the Brazilian leader had speaking space at three formal sessions of the G20, held bilateral meetings with representatives from Germany, South Africa, Turkey, South Korea, Canada, Ethiopia and with the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom, in addition to participating in the Summit meeting of the India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum, Ibas. From South Africa, Lula heads to Mozambique.

Check out some of the main excerpts from President Lula’s responses below:

Mega events

It is important to take into account that in the last 15 months, Brazil had the arduous task of organizing three extremely important forums. The first began with the G20 in Rio de Janeiro, an extraordinary success. Then Brics, also in Rio de Janeiro, which was another extraordinary forum. And the COP in Belém, which shows that Brazil is more than prepared. They were all very successful events and I am happy because they mean the survival and strengthening of multilateralism.

Result of COP 30

I am very pleased with the success of the COP in Belém. Those who imagined that Belém was not prepared, that it would not work, the COP was an extraordinary success and I am sure that the people who went, who had the opportunity to get to know the city, to get to know Belém’s cuisine, must have returned amazed. Whoever didn’t do this regretted it.

Route Map

When we introduced the discussion about the Road Map (to end the use of fossil fuels, at COP 30), we knew it was a controversial topic. What we achieved was to start a debate about something that everyone knows will have to happen. If it is true that fossil fuels are responsible for more than 80% of greenhouse gas emissions, it is true that we need to find a solution to this. In the case of Brazil, we are doing better than any other country, with the introduction of 15% biodiesel in diesel oil and 30% ethanol in gasoline. Other countries can do this. For example, the African continent, which needs to develop and generate jobs, can be a major producer of this raw material to export to countries that have nowhere to plant crops, such as the European Union. So what we say is this: it is possible.

US absence from the G20

This is not the first time that an important leader has been missing. On other occasions, we have held the G20 without important leaders who were unable to participate. President Xi Jinping did not come, but his first vice minister did, so China had a strong delegation. President Trump did not come, but he will preside over the next G20 in the United States. And we will all celebrate. The United States remains the largest economy in the world, but it’s important to know that we exist even when they don’t participate. The G20 brings together the 20 largest economies in the world and I think that the G20 today is the great forum for multilateral decisions and has the respectability of the entire economy. What we need is to put into practice the things we decided and I think that was clear to everyone with the document signed in Johannesburg.

US military presence in the Caribbean

I’m worried because South America is considered a zone of peace. We are a continent that does not have nuclear weapons, we do not have an atomic bomb. I am concerned about the military apparatus that the United States has placed in the Caribbean Sea and I intend to talk to President Trump about this. Brazil has responsibility in South America, it shares a border with Venezuela. I think it makes no sense for you to have a war now. In other words, we will not repeat the mistake that happened in the war between Russia and Ukraine. In other words, to start, just take a shot. Finally, we don’t know how it ends. So it’s important that we try to find a solution before starting.

European Union-Mercosur Agreement

I can guarantee that on December 20th I will be signing the European Union-Mercosur agreement. It is an agreement that practically involves 722 million inhabitants and 22 trillion dollars of GDP. It’s an extremely important thing, possibly the biggest trade deal in the world. And then, after we sign the agreement, there will still be a lot of work to do before we can start to enjoy, you know, the benefits of this agreement. But it will be signed.

Originally published by Agência Gov on 11/23/2025