THE Group of 20 leaders on Tuesday wrapped up their two-day meeting, underscoring the need for collective action to combat climate change, poverty and other global challenges.
While the leaders managed to issue a joint statement covering a wide range of topics, they mostly stuck to generalities ahead of the expected return of Donald Trump as US president.
Under the presidency of Brazil, the diverse group noted geopolitical risks in the Middle East.
It also took the sting out by removing a pledge to resist protectionism that appeared in the leaders’ statement last year.
The group highlighted the importance of multilateralism in the fight against climate change, though the outlook for any movement on the issue remains uncertain after Trump returns to the White House.
The two-day summit in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro was a forum for leaders from both advanced and emerging economies to explore ways to jointly tackle global challenges.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, making his G20 summit debut, told his fellow leaders the role of the G20 is expanding.
“I stressed that a free and open international order based on the rule of law is important,” Ishiba told a press conference at the end of his South American trip.
He visited Peru for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit before the G20 leaders’ meeting.
Kyodo
#TheGlobalNewLightOfMyanmar