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| Outreach Leaders Speak out at G8 |
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By Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva The G8 summit in Heiligendamm offers a fresh opportunity for leaders of outreach countries - South Africa, Brazil, China, India and Mexico - to deepen the dialogue with the major industrialized economies on priority issues in the international agenda started in Evian back in 2003. These outreach meetings have been gaining strength each year. They have achieved recognition precisely because of the new approaches to G8 discussions that they introduced. I am persuaded that it is high time the main emerging economies were heard - particularly on climate change, sustainable development, new and renewable energy sources and financing for development. This is not because the populations of our countries are directly affected but on the basis of our countries' ability to formulate and implement innovative proposals as a response to multiple challenges. Bio-fuels are likely to turn into international commodities, evidence of our joint efforts to find coordinated solutions. The widespread use of ethanol and bio-diesel helps democratize access to energy, decreasing the worldwide dependence on finite reserves of hydrocarbons. Bio-fuels are particularly relevant for the developing countries. Because of the huge potential for creating jobs and generating income, bio-fuels offer a real alternative for sustainable growth, particularly for the countries that depend on exporting their scarce raw materials. The arguments that bio-fuels may impact on food security or aggravate climate change are built on a false premise. Provided every country adopts crops that are adequate to its needs, bio-fuels can act as partners for food security and environmental protection. A rigorous public certification system supported by multilateral agreements will both protect the environment and guarantee acceptable working conditions. A balance between small family farms and large-scale plantations can also be accomplished in the manner that it is enshrined in Brazil's legislation. Indeed, we have been sharing our experience with our neighbors in Latin America, the Caribbean and with our African brothers and sisters. In order to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it is also essential to multiply innovative finance mechanisms capable of ensuring that there are necessary resources to change the living conditions of millions of excluded people. The levy charged on air tickets is but a diminutive example of what can potentially be achieved. The creation of the International Drug Purchase Facility (UNITAID) illustrates this very well. The Outreach Summit offers us opportunities to put forward integrated worldwide strategies to deal with the major threats to our planet. No sustainable development, environmental harmony or lasting security will be achieved if we are unable to eradicate hunger and extreme inequality. This is the reason that progress is needed in the multilateral trade negotiations. We need a genuine development round at the World Trade Organization (WTO). In this manner, the results will bring the benefits which have been pledged so many times but which never materialized - namely, trade liberalization for the most disadvantaged countries. Perhaps the largest test of our ability to forge truly global governance lies ahead in the urgent need to distribute responsibilities and costs. We cannot procrastinate any longer. These responsibilities are shared but distinctive. When we speak of global warming or about multilateral trade negotiations, we cannot use the same yardstick when dealing with countries that have unequal capabilities and responsibilities. For instance, the legitimate protection of intellectual property, which is on the G8 agenda, cannot preclude the ethical imperative to ensure that essential drugs are available at accessible prices. Brazil is fully aware of its obligations and has been thoroughly engaged in all these initiatives. That is why we trust that the G8 outreach dialogue will remain an indispensable jurisdiction for the consolidation of a joint agenda of shared interests and challenges by everyone on our planet. The creation of a permanent forum of developing and developed countries aimed at tackling the central issues in today's world will help make globalization less asymmetric, creating more solidarity. The author is president of Brazil. (China Daily June 8, 2007) |
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