Speech of Minister Waldez Góes, Ministry of Integration and Regional Development - Rio de Janeiro, July, 29th, 2024

I greet the esteemed representatives of the G20 member countries, the countries invited by Brazil, as well as the international organizations that have contributed to enabling this Disaster Risk Reduction Group to achieve concrete outcomes for society.

It is with great satisfaction that we welcome all of you to the city of Rio de Janeiro, the same location where President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, last week, laid the foundations for a Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, a global initiative to combat social inequalities, which directly aligns with our Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group’s transversal priority: combating inequalities to reduce vulnerabilities.

Today, approximately 10 million people in Brazil live in high and very high-risk areas. Certainly, each country represented here experiences similar situations. Without addressing the needs of these people, we will not be effective in promoting disaster risk reduction.

Addressing inequality and vulnerability is at the heart of disaster risk reduction. To ensure that the vulnerability of the majority of the at-risk population is addressed, we need to reorient the way financing and investment are done, directing efforts and resources toward infrastructure, early warning systems, recovery, rehabilitation, or sustainable development. We need to adopt a resilience approach that allows not only for reconstruction but also for preparation and prevention of future disasters.

For this working group to make a difference, it is imperative that we unite with a common goal: ensuring that all financing and investment, both public and private, create resilience and address inequality. These principles should guide our actions to ensure that we are strengthening the most vulnerable communities, providing them with the capacity to face and overcome adversities.

I would like to call all G20 Member States, Invited Countries and the knowledge partners to help us implement these high-level principles. This collaboration and commitment are essential to transform our intentions into concrete and effective actions. Together, we can build a more resilient and just future for all.

This is the first time Brazil is hosting a G20 Summit. Under President Lula's leadership, the Brazilian Pro Tempore Presidency of the G20 has established three priority axes for this term: promoting social inclusion and fighting hunger and poverty; advancing sustainable development in its social, economic, and environmental dimensions, including energy transitions; and seeking reforms in global governance institutions.

The Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group, which our Ministry of Integration and Regional Development coordinates together with the Ministry of Cities, addresses an urgent issue for all countries, given the current global challenges associated with the adverse effects of climate change. This subject demands well-coordinated and effective international cooperation.

The major flood in Rio Grande do Sul earlier this year, the historic drought in the Amazon region last year and repeating this year, and the wildfires already ravaging the Pantanal, just to cite recent Brazilian examples, are increasingly recurring in all our countries.

The situation is dramatic and requires from all countries and nations a new stance in facing it, according to the guidelines outlined in the Sendai Framework.

In our government, under President Lula's leadership, we are making considerable efforts to promote public policies for contingency and disaster prevention.

The development of the National Civil Protection and Defense Plan (PNPDC) is one of the ongoing actions at the National Civil Protection and Defense Secretariat, linked to the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development, aiming to make our cities more resilient and ready to prevent climatic phenomena and respond promptly to such occurrences.

The implementation of new warning systems for populations about imminent disaster occurrences, such as the Civil Defense Alert, to be launched very soon, and technologies that allow better understanding of the reality of climate change, such as the Digital Disaster Atlas in Brazil, and the definition of strategies for prevention and response to occurrences, such as the ClimaAdapt Platform, are part of the set of initiatives we are adopting.

Together with the Ministry of Cities and in collaboration with other ministries and government agencies, we are committed to the practical application of the concept of comprehensive disaster risk management. Using available technologies and information, we will identify the Brazilian municipalities most susceptible and vulnerable to disaster occurrences, to establish a policy aimed at risk management in these locations, making them more resilient.

Just last Friday, President Lula announced, during the launch of the New PAC Selections, more federal government investments in the Sustainable and Resilient Cities axis, totaling more than R$ 41.7 billion in projects covering 899 ventures proposed by the 26 states and the Federal District, 488 municipalities, and 1 consortium.

However, to save lives, protect our economies, and ensure sustainable and fair development, beyond national efforts, it is also necessary to ensure access to international resources to strengthen the capacity for adaptation and mitigation to the effects of climate change and to respond swiftly to losses and damages. This is a reality that impacts all countries worldwide, but especially the underdeveloped and developing countries.

Brazil, committed to collaborating intensively in facing these challenges, enthusiastically welcomes today the G20 member countries, invited countries, and other partner institutions, to explore joint solutions and chart paths that enable us to mitigate and adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change, reduce risks, and continually improve our countries' early response capacity.

With a commitment to actively working to reduce inequalities and promote inclusive and sustainable development, this Group opened its doors last Friday and Saturday for dialogue with civil society representatives and private sector representatives during the technical events held.

We believe that the G20 provides a conducive space for dialogue and collective action among the major economic powers, different actors, leveraging successful experiences and technical expertise to face global challenges with determination and effectiveness.

I thank everyone for their presence and commitment at this very important meeting. We are confident that together we will find the best paths for a safe, resilient, and sustainable future for all.

I hope that the first two days of technical workshops have provided rich exchanges of experiences between you and representatives of civil society and the private sector, and I would like to wish you a very productive day today and tomorrow, so that we can arrive in Belém at the end of October with important deliverables to be concluded during the ministerial meeting that we will have the pleasure of hosting in the heart of the Amazon region.

I also ask you to extend my invitation to your Ministers so that we can all be together in Belém. We need to leave our leaders with a strong message of our commitment to caring for the most vulnerable and ensuring financial resources to reduce disaster risk!

Good work to all. See you in Belém!