G20 ministers seek to prioritize environmental disaster prevention
Ministers from the G20 countries meeting at the G20 Brazil Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group in Belém, Pará state, approved a declaration on the prevention and reduction of environmental disasters on Friday (Nov. 1). The document will now be sent to the heads of state who will take part in the G20 summit meeting, scheduled to take place in Rio de Janeiro on November 18 and 19.
The declaration advocates the need to make reducing the risk of environmental disasters a global priority and brings together a series of initiatives—such as the creation of funding mechanisms, early and anticipatory actions, and risk-informed policies—to combat disasters like the drought in the Amazon.
At a press conference, Brazil’s Minister for Integration and Regional Development Waldez Góes celebrated the signing of the ministerial declaration. “It is in line with what President Lula, as president pro tempore of the G20, has been discussing—reducing inequalities and vulnerabilities, which are directly related to the issue of reducing disaster risks,” he stated.
Minister of Cities Jader Filho said that the Brazilian government will do “everything” to ensure that the declaration gets off the drawing board and becomes a reality. “This consensus shows extraordinary progress by the G20 nations, and this is a central point. So many different visions, so many contradictory opinions… but we managed to [approve the declaration] today with pride, thinking about the future of the next generations,” he said.
