In his first speech on this trip to New York, to the United Nations General Assembly (UN), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that the Pact for the Future, a document to be signed by world leaders in the North American city, points to a direction to follow, but that there is a lack of “ambition and boldness” for the entity to be able to fulfill its role.
The Brazilian president spoke during the Future Summit, held this Sunday (22). According to him, the crisis in global governance requires structural transformations and he cited the recent armed conflicts that exist in the world today.
“The pandemic, the conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, the arms race and climate change have exposed the limitations of multilateral bodies. Most bodies lack the authority and means of implementation to enforce their decisions. The General Assembly has lost its vitality and the economic and social council has been emptied,” said Lula in his speech at the Summit of the Future.
Last year, Brazil failed to approve a Resolution at the UN Security Council on the conflict involving Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. At the time, the vote of the United States – a Permanent Member – made approval impossible, even after long negotiations by Brazilian diplomacy. Other resolutions presented also failed, either due to votes against by the United States or by Russia, another Permanent Member. According to the rules of the Security Council, for a Resolution to be approved, it needs the support of nine of the total 15 members, and none of the permanent members can veto the text.
Pact of the Future
The pre-UN General Assembly event brings together world leaders to discuss ways to address emerging security crises, accelerate the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and address the threats and opportunities of digital technologies.
Lula highlighted the positive aspects of the Pact, such as its “unprecedented” approach to important issues such as the debt of developing countries and international taxation; and the creation of a forum for dialogue between heads of state and government and leaders of international financial institutions. According to Lula, this promises to put the UN back at the center of the global economic debate.
The president also mentioned the progress towards inclusive digital governance that “reduces the asymmetries of a data-driven economy and mitigates the impact of new technologies such as artificial intelligence.” “All of these advances will be commendable and significant, but we still lack ambition and boldness,” he said.
He also criticized the UN Security Council, saying that its legitimacy diminishes “every time it applies double standards or turns a blind eye to atrocities.” For Lula, Bretton Woods institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, disregard the priorities and needs of the developing world.
“The Global South is not represented in a way that is consistent with its current political, economic and demographic weight,” he said.
The president said there had been little progress in the multilateral agenda of reforming the UN system in the last 20 years and cited as positive measures the Peacebuilding Commission, created in 2005, and the Human Rights Council, created in 2006.
He also warned that the sustainable development goals, despite having been the biggest “diplomatic undertaking in recent years”, are on their way to becoming “our biggest collective failure”.
“At the current pace of implementation, only 17% of the 2030 agenda targets will be achieved on time. As president of the G20, Brazil will launch a global alliance against hunger and poverty to accelerate the overcoming of these scourges,” he said.
Lula also said that, if the current pace of greenhouse gas emission reductions and climate finance is maintained, the levels will be insufficient to keep the planet safe. “In partnership with the Secretary-General [da ONU, António Guterres]in preparation for COP30, we will work towards a global ethical assessment, bringing together different sectors of civil society to think about climate action from the perspective of justice, equity and solidarity”, he continued.
Human rights
In his speech, Lula said that the world has a responsibility not to backtrack on the human rights and peace promotion agenda.
“We cannot back down in the promotion of gender equality, nor in the fight against racism and all forms of discrimination. Nor can we go back to living with nuclear threats. It is unacceptable to regress to a world divided by ideological borders or zones of influence. To naturalize the hunger of 733 million people would be shameful. To go back on our commitments is to call into question everything we have built so arduously,” he said.
“We need courage and political will to change, creating today the tomorrow we want. The best legacy we can leave to future generations is a governance capable of responding effectively to the challenges that persist and those that will arise,” said the president at the end of his speech.
Future Summit and General Assembly
The Summit for the Future is a side event to the UN General Assembly. The event produced a document, approved this Sunday. It was negotiated among member states to strengthen global cooperation and establish commitments to better adapt to current challenges, for the future of renewed and effective multilateralism, for the benefit of future generations.
On Tuesday (24), the president will make the traditional opening speech at the United Nations General Assembly. By tradition, since the 10th session of the summit, the president of Brazil is always the first country to speak.
The United Nations General Assembly is one of the main bodies of the UN and brings together the 193 member states of the organization, with each nation having the right to one vote. For Brazil, the opening of the General Debate of the assembly allows the presentation of the country’s priorities, both internally and internationally.
