Brazil in the G20: Lula’s bid for Multilateralism

Brazil in the G20: Lula’s bid for Multilateralism

Reading time: 4 mins approx.

Last week, Rio de Janeiro briefly became the world’s capital as leaders from the twenty largest economies gathered for a highly anticipated G20 summit. The presidency of this year’s event was especially significant for Brazilian President Lula, who has been eager to reassert Brazil’s role as an active regional leader and a promoter of multilateralism.

Now, we must take things into a broader perspective. Lula’s re-engagement in foreign policy contrasts sharply with the more erratic approaches of his predecessors. Michel Temer (2016-2018) adopted a largely pragmatic and reactive foreign policy, focused mainly on economic diplomacy, with little room for broader activism. This cautious approach was completely upended in the years that followed. Under Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2022) Brazil’s foreign policy became marked by an unusual combination of isolationism, bilateralism, and idealistic relationships with other countries, sometimes based on the political alignments of its leaders rather than strategy. A clear example was Brazil’s relationship with the United States—strong under Trump but distant under Biden. Bolsonaro’s tenure attracted widespread criticism for neglecting key areas like the fight against hunger, environmental protection, health cooperation, and global governance.

In contrast, Lula’s foreign policy has aimed to reverse these trends by reinvigorating Brazil’s international engagement, epitomised at COP27 by the phrase "Brazil is back” while he was still president-elect. In a way, presiding over the G20 was a timely occasion for Lula’s mid-mandate. It served as a consolidation of Brazil’s reanimated foreign policy, and several guidelines of Lula’s foreign policy can be seen reflected in Brazil’s chairmanship.

Perhaps Brazil’s flagship proposal at the G20 was the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty. While hunger has been a recurring theme in past G20 meetings, this new alliance stands out as an interesting display of Brazilian initiative. Addressing hunger has long been a central issue in Lula’s political agenda, dating back to his entry into politics in the late 1980s. It has remained a priority throughout his presidential terms and, arguably, is now reflected in this proposed alliance. Another key commitment was to environmentalism and climate action—policy areas that were sidelined under Bolsonaro but have been a cornerstone of Lula’s foreign policy since his return to office. The choice for an emphasis in environmentalism can be twofold. Firstly, it is a way for Lula to regain legitimacy on the global stage in contrast to his predecessor’s four years of neglect. Secondly, given Brazil’s vast natural resources, Lula views the country as uniquely positioned in the long-term to lead the world in environmental efforts.

Among other policy areas, Lula has pushed for taxing ultra-high-net-income individuals, an ambitious proposal that would require international cooperation to address the widespread issue of tax evasion. There were also calls for reforming global institutions, particularly the UN Security Council and Bretton Woods institutions—an ongoing theme in Brazilian diplomacy for the past two decades. Finally, in the realm of technology, Brazil has highlighted the dangers of disinformation, which Lula attributes to the rise of extremist movements worldwide.

Still, many challenges loomed over the G20. Throughout the world, war, conflict, and political instability have resurfaced, and the G20 acknowledged that without renewed political will, international institutions will remain ill-equipped to address the growing threats to peace. This is especially concerning in a world that has experienced only modest economic recovery since the pandemic. Furthermore, it was noted that only about 17% of the Sustainable Development Goals have been met, with just six years left to achieve the rest—an outcome that seems increasingly unlikely. For Brazil, while multilateralism is expected to remain a central pillar of Lula’s foreign policy, this orientation could just as easily shift should another candidate from Bolsonaro’s base become president. Ironically, Bolsonaro’s alignment with the U.S. flourished during Trump’s first term and waned under Biden. Now, the situation is reversed: Lula enjoys a good relationship with Biden, a relationship that might weaken when Trump returns to power.

All in all, Brazil’s presidency over the G20 marked departure from the foreign policy of previous years. Looking ahead, while Lula’s foreign policy is likely to remain centred on multilateralism, with some notable opportunities to demonstrate this commitment in 2025. Not only will Brazil hold the next BRICS presidency, but also host the COP30 in Belém – a much-anticipated summit where Lula pledged to bring world leaders to the Amazon to address the most urgent climate matters.