President Sheinbaum: 1% of G20 Arms Spending Should Be Redirected to the Poor and Women
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Nov. 8, 2024. X/ @BloombergAsia
November 8, 2024 Hour: 1:27 pm
Mexico hopes that international forums will clearly analyze issues such as gender equality and sustainable development.
On Friday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced she will propose to the members of the Group of Twenty (G20) that 1 percent of their military spending be allocated to fighting poverty and defending women’s rights.
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“We’re going to defend what our project represents,” she said, anticipating what she will propose at the G20 summit, which will take place in Rio de Janeiro on November 18.
“We will propose, for example, that 1 percent of military spending be allocated to assist the world’s most needy. We are proud of the cultural power we represent and we will showcase the results Mexico has achieved,” said Sheinbaum, whose participation in the Rio de Janeiro Summit is notable given that former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador never attended a G20 meeting.
“It’s not the market that solves problems. That is what we are going to present to the G20 with great pride,” Sheinbaum said, emphasizing the importance of the state in opening paths for development in Latin America.
“We will also advocate for women’s rights and show how Mexico has made progress in that regard,” she added, referring to how women used to live in a position of subordination and “kept their heads down.”
Mexican Foreign Affairs Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente indicated that his nation is interested in seeing topics such as gender equality, sustainable development, and advancing the digital agenda analyzed clearly in international forums.
He also mentioned that officials from Canada, China, South Korea, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, and the United Kingdom have requested bilateral meetings with President Sheinbaum, who will be the only confirmed female leader at the G20 meeting.
The Mexican president will spend one day at the Rio de Janeiro Summit, where she will participate in two plenary sessions and the opening session, which will focus specifically on the fight against hunger and poverty. In the afternoon, she will attend another meeting on the reform of global governance institutions, said De la Fuente.
As of 2023, the G20 comprised Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, United Kingdom and United States. It also includes the European Union and the African Union.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
