Addressing the Group of Seven leaders on June 16 in Évian, France, Brazilian President Inacio Luiz Lula da Silva spoke on behalf of the vast majority of humanity who live outside the club of self-designated “G7 nations.” This is the 10th G8 or G7 summit I have attended since 2003, he told them, yet “in none of them have we managed to develop collective and lasting responses” to the crises and challenges the world faces.
He charged that neoliberalism, in which “market deregulation, a minimal state and fiscal austerity are held up as ends in themselves,” has been the dogma which has trapped these leaders. But today’s turn to “protectionism and unilateralism” cannot resolve the complex problems facing the world, he added.
“The gap between the prosperity of Évian and the reality faced by billions of people in the Global South is not narrowing,” but increasing. “The world’s first trillionaire is richer than the poorest 46 per cent of the global population. The extreme concentration of wealth stems from decades of pro-billionaire policies.”
At the same time, international solidarity is being cut. “Last year, we saw a historic 23% drop in Official Development Assistance. The World Food Program lost around 40% of its funding. The World Health Organization and UNICEF have cut their budgets by more than 20%,” he pointed out. “These are not abstract figures. They have a direct impact on the daily lives of people in developing countries. There are millions of people without access to adequate food; children not attending school; women deprived of protection; and communities vulnerable to preventable diseases.”
Furthermore, under the current system, “the developing world spends 1.4 trillion dollars a year on debt servicing, a figure seven times greater than the aid it receives from rich countries,” while “annual military spending totals almost 3 trillion dollars.”
