This Sunday, on the last day of the G20 leaders’ summit, held virtually by the pandemic, President Alberto Fernández gave a speech in the framework of the second session entitled “Building an Inclusive, Sustainable and Resilient Future.” We are facing a real change of epoch,” he said. For the representative, the global challenges already facing, “such as climate change, asymmetry between central and peripheral countries, and social inequality suffered by Latin America and other continents,” are added “the health, economic and social effects of the coronavirus pandemic.” In this context, he argued that the exit “requires promoting economic, industrial and social policies aimed at the structural change of our economies that today only favour income to be concentrated in very few and poverty to be distributed among millions” and also requires “deep transformations that ensure a balance between economic growth, social inclusion and environmental sustainability”.
He also recalled that “the pandemic has caused the loss of more than a million human lives and its consequences are still difficult to size” and this will add difficulties to the goal of eradicating poverty, to which the leaders in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations committed. , but also in the labor and productive market” and welcomed that “patriarchy has begun to be called into question.” Women’s empowerment is a moral and ethical imperative that, in addition to legitimately expanding rights, helps in the fight against poverty, food insecurity, and promotes faster development of our societies,” she added. Of the challenges of the energy sector, he asserted that the pandemic “generated a very negative impact on production, investment and employment.”
“Strengthening international energy cooperation is essential to increase innovation,” and “our country is committed to a fair transition agenda to comprehensive and sustainable development,” he added. Finally, he stated that for the sustainability of the environmental future “a collective commitment is needed to achieve the early and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement.” No one is saved alone on a planet that catches fire, floods, or poisons. We invited efforts to support actions on disaster adaptation and risk reduction, particularly for the most vulnerable communities,” he proposed. At the closure, he considered it essential to “encourage coherence between mitigation actions, adaptation measures and environmental protection, in the light of climate science.” Our commitment is to ensure a fair and inclusive transition to sustainable development,” he concluded.
