RIO DE JANEIRO, November 18. /TASS/. More than 80 countries, including Russia, have joined the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, created at the initiative of Brazil, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said at the opening of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.

"Eighty-one countries, 26 international organizations, nine financial institutions and 31 non-governmental and charitable organizations have already joined [the alliance]," he said.

The list, which was published by the alliance's press service, includes, in particular, Russia, China, the United States, the African Union and the European Union.

As of 10:00 a.m. (01:00 p.m. GMT), Argentina was the G20 country, which is not on the list.

The Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty is a flagship initiative of Brazil, which chaired the G20 this year. Its goal is to pool resources and proposals for the implementation of public policy measures and technologies that have proven effective in reducing poverty and hunger in the world.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia intends to announce its accession to the alliance to fight hunger and poverty at the G20 summit.

The G20 summit, with the participation of leaders of the G20 countries and states invited by Brazil, is underway in Rio de Janeiro from November 18 to 19. According to the Brazilian side, 42 countries are taking part in it. Russia is represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.