Brazil wants G-20 to reform IMF and assist the poor

President Luiz Inácio da Silva and president-elect, Dilma Rousseff, will reinforce their push for expanded developing nation influence at the Seoul G-20 meeting. That agenda includes increasing the power of emerging nations at the International Monetary Fund and more action plans for the world’s poorest regions [as already reported here, some changes in IMF quotas and representation were made recently].

The Doha Round negotiations on reducing world trade barriers are also on their agenda. Brazilian authorities would like to see progress made on the question of agricultural and manufactured goods that has divided developed and developing nations. Brazil has said it sees no advantage in proposals (by rich nations) made regarding manufactured goods and regrets that no progress has been made in opening markets to poor nation farm produce.
This will be Lula’s last G-20 meeting (it will take place on November 11 and 12) and he is expected to spotlight Brazil’s activities in international cooperation and its role as a donor nation. Lula will point out that such action is a part of Brazilian foreign policy. Concrete examples of that policy is the country’s humanitarian assistance and pardoning of debts, especially in Haiti and African nations, such as Angola and Mozambique.