Investments for sustainable growth can only bear fruit if countries are not suffocated by the burden of public debt. In the framework of the Brazilian G20, LINK 2007 presented President Lula with the RELEASE G20 proposal, a flexible mechanism for debt relief and sustainable development with the aim of revitalising international cooperation.

The RELEASE G20 initiative represents a proposal for a flexible, partial, or total sovereign debt conversion through the establishment of a counterpart fund by the debtor country, in local currency, dedicated to sustainable development—an SDG Fund. The fund would be endowed with amounts nominally equivalent to the values of existing debt payments.

The goal is to promote the achievement of SDGs in the most vulnerable countries facing severe economic crises that exacerbate their structural fragilities, encouraging medium- and long-term sustainable investments in resilient infrastructure and services. This would involve both public initiatives and incentives for the private sector. Promoting investments, particularly in developing countries with high demographic potential, can stimulate economic growth, foster trade, secure services, and create stable jobs. Therefore, debt reduction and restructuring are crucial to prevent widespread economic defaults and to catalyze SDG-focused recovery investments.

RELEASE G20 could represent a winning proposal from the G20 to the international community, establishing a long-term agreement for debt burden reduction and a systematic, sustainable restructuring process for sovereign debt in the most fragile, heavily indebted countries, coupled with SDG-oriented investments. The initiative would have substantial political impact, as a fundamental step in implementing the “Financing for Development” commitments, while also being operationally transformative in the field of international cooperation. This would ensure a fair, regular, timely, and effective debt restructuring process, enabling countries to invest in the SDGs.

DOCUMENTS:

English:

RELEASE G20, ENGLISH PROPOSAL 

RELEASE G20, ENGLISH SUMMURY PROPOSAL 

Italiano:

RELEASE G20, LEGGI LA PROPOSTA IN ITALIANO 

RELEASE G20, LEGGI LA SINTESI IN ITALIANO 

Français:

RELEASE G20, EN FRANÇAIS

RELEASE G20, SYNTHÈSE EN FRANÇAIS

Português:

RELEASE G20, LEIA O RESUMO EM PORTUGUÊS