NEW YORK, USA – The UN symbolises the highest expression of the aspiration for peace and prosperity, but the ideals that inspired its founding 80 years ago are under threat as never before, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva told the General Assembly on Tuesday.
“Multilateralism is at a new crossroads” and the world is “witnessing the consolidation of an international order marked by repeated concessions to power play, attacks on sovereignty, arbitrary sanctions and unilateral interventions are becoming the rule.” He said that “throughout the world, anti-democratic forces are trying to subjugate institutions and stifle freedoms. They worship violence, praise ignorance, act as physical and digital militias and restrict the press.”
Sending a message
The president, known to all as Lula, said that “even under unprecedented attack, Brazil chose to resist and defend its democracy regained 40 years ago”. He referred to his predecessor’s recent conviction for attacking the democratic rule of law, marking a first in his country’s 525-year history.
“Before the eyes of the world, Brazil sent a message to all aspiring autocrats and those who support them: our democracy, our sovereignty are non-negotiable,” he said.
Tension in the region
Turning to the wider region, he noted that Latin American and the Caribbean “are experiencing a time of growing polarisation and instability.”
He said that “the comparison between crime and terrorism is worrying” and the most effective way to combat drug trafficking is through cooperation to suppress money laundering and limit arms trade.
“Using lethal force in situations that do not constitute armed conflict is tantamount to executing people without trial,” he added.
Lula stressed that “the path to dialogue must not be closed in Venezuela. Haiti has the right to a violence free future, and it is unacceptable that Cuba be listed as a country that sponsors terrorism.”
Concern for the Palestinian people
Meanwhile, “no situation is more emblematic of the disproportionate and illegal use of force” than the situation in Palestine.
He warned that “the Palestinian people are at risk of disappearing” and “will only survive with an independent State integrated into the international community”, which more than 150 UN Member States have reaffirmed.
Climate action and justice
Lula also addressed the climate crisis. He said the COP30 conference in the Brazilian city of Belém “will be the time for world leaders to prove the seriousness of their commitment to the planet.”
Developing countries are confronting climate change in the face of other challenges, while rich nations “enjoy a standard of living reached at the expense of 200 years of greenhouse gas emissions.”
“Demanding greater ambition and greater access to resources and technology is not a matter of charity, but of justice,” he said.
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