In September and October, the capital of Rio Grande do Norte, a state in the Northeast region of Brasil, will host meetings of the Health Working Group and the Anti-Corruption Working Group of the G20. In addition to the technical meetings, a ministerial meeting will also be held in the city
The city of Natal, capital of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte, will host G20 events in September and October. Meetings of the Health Working Group will be held on September 2 and 3. The technical meeting of the Anti-Corruption Working Group (GTAC) will be held on October 22 and 23, and the ministerial meeting of the G20 Anti-Corruption Group will be held on October 24. The technical meetings include delegates and representatives of international organizations. The ministerial meeting will be attended by ministers from the G20 countries.
The confirmation of the capital of Rio Grande do Norte to host the agendas of the largest forum of international cooperation was announced by the Minister of the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU), Vinicius Marques de Carvalho, and the governor of Rio Grande do Norte, Fátima Bezerra. By including one more city in the official G20 calendar, the Brazilian presidency reinforces its commitment to promoting the country's cultural diversity, presenting different regions to the delegates, organizations and ministers of the forum that will come to Brasil.
According to the CGU minister, the addition of Natal as a host city is an opportunity for Brasil to demonstrate its good practices in public and private integrity. "We will focus on Brasil's experience and good practices, which are internationally recognized. We will seek to reach a consensus that will help us move forward in building strong institutions that are attentive to the urgent global challenges of reducing inequalities and achieving sustainability", he emphasized.
The Anti-Corruption Working Group defined four key priorities for the work throughout the year. The first is to promote a more equitable and sustainable world. The second focuses on developing principles to foster integrity in the private sector. The third seeks to strengthen public organizations. The fourth priority is to increase the ability to recover assets misappropriated by acts of corruption.
Health: priorities of the Brazilian presidency under debate
Regarding the Health Working Group, the objective is to identify the points of consensus between the member countries that can be taken for the ministers´ consideration at the ministerial meeting scheduled for October 31 in Rio de Janeiro. Before that, in Natal, the last in-person technical meeting will take place to discuss two urgent issues in particular. The first issue is Brasil's proposal to create a global alliance for the local and regional production of medicines, vaccines and diagnostic materials. The focus of this initiative is on diseases that affect underserved populations. The second one will discuss the impact of climate change on health and its relationship with equity.
Ambassador Alexandre Ghisleni, head of the Special Advisory on International Affairs of the Ministry of Health and coordinator of the Health Working Group, informs that the practical application of the concept of "One Health" - will also be on the agenda, as will the issue of antimicrobial resistance in the global context. "With an ambitious agenda, these themes summarize the main advances made so far by the Brazilian presidency in relation to health policies within the G20", he explained.
A milestone for Rio Grande do Norte
Governor Fátima Bezerra celebrates the decision to include Natal in the G20 calendar. She highlights the importance of the event for the state. "Hosting this respected international event represents a milestone in the history of Rio Grande do Norte, which will have the opportunity to actively participate in formulating the principles and ethical standards that will guide the next phases of public governance. The state of Rio Grande do Norte intends to make a competent contribution towards building the highest standards of ethics and public integrity, which are imperative for any democratic government", she emphasized.
Brasil's role in the international scenario
Holding the meetings in Natal reinforces initiatives by the Brazilian government that are internationally recognized. Among the anti-corruption initiatives are the Anti-Corruption Law, the Brazilian Business Pact for Integrity, the Pro-Ethics Programme of the Comptroller General of the Union, and the Preventive Audit in Public Bidding system. In the health sector, Brasil's proposal to the G20 supports the adoption of universal health systems to tackle the challenges of global health governance, such as those caused by the climate crisis. Based on the Unified Health System (SUS), the proposal emphasizes that everyone has the right to medical, hospital and comprehensive health care.
