President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated on Tuesday (24) that, in the pursuit of solving the planet’s problems, world leaders are going in circles and achieving inefficient results. While opening the debate of heads of state at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UN) in New York, Lula commented on the Pact for the Future, a document adopted by countries to strengthen global cooperation:
“Its difficult approval demonstrates the weakening of our collective capacity for negotiation and dialogue. Its limited scope is also an expression of the paradox of our time: we are going in circles between possible commitments that lead to insufficient results,” Lula said.
“Not even with the tragedy of COVID-19 were we able to unite around a Treaty on Pandemics at the World Health Organization. We need to go much further and equip the UN with the necessary means to face the changes in the international landscape,” the president added.
For Lula, the crisis of global governance requires structural transformations, and this mission falls on the General Assembly, “the greatest expression of multilateralism.” According to him, about to complete 80 years, the UN Charter has never undergone a comprehensive reform. At the founding of the UN, there were 51 countries; today we are 193.
“The current version of the Charter does not address some of humanity’s most pressing challenges,” Lula said, citing the various armed conflicts existing in the world, “with the potential to become widespread confrontations.”
According to the president, at the time of the UN’s founding, several nations, especially on the African continent, were under colonial rule and “had no voice regarding their objectives and functioning.” Furthermore, for Lula, there is no gender balance in the exercise of the highest functions, and the position of Secretary-General has never been held by a woman.
“We are reaching the end of the first quarter of the 21st century with the United Nations increasingly emptied and paralyzed. Point adjustments are not enough; we need to consider a broad review of the Charter,” he said.
For Lula, reforming the UN Security Council is urgent, with adequate representation of emerging countries. Today, this council, which has the power to make important decisions on international conflicts, includes only the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom as permanent members. According to the rules, for a resolution to be approved, it requires the support of nine out of a total of 15 members, with none of the permanent members able to veto the text.
“The exclusion of Latin America and Africa from permanent seats on the Security Council is an unacceptable echo of past colonial domination practices,” the Brazilian stated.
This is the ninth time President Lula has opened the general debate of heads of state. Throughout his two previous terms, he participated in the event every year from 2003 to 2009. In 2010, he was represented by then-Foreign Minister and current Special Advisor to the Presidency, Celso Amorim. Last year, in his third term, Lula also opened the debate session.
Source: Agência Brasil