Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has announced the launch of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty at the start of the G20 summit in his country's coastal metropolis of Rio de Janeiro on Monday.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva opened the summit of the Group of 20 major economies on Monday (Nov 18) with the launch of a global alliance to combat poverty and hunger that 81 countries have agreed to back.

Brazil launched the Global Alliance for Hunger and Poverty on Friday at the G20 Summit in Rio, a Brazilian government official said, with an initial 41 participating members pledging to lift 500 million people out of poverty through cash transfers and social protection systems.