President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and other global leaders are meeting this Monday (22) at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York to discuss the situation in Palestine.
The High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution is scheduled to begin at 3 PM local time (4 PM Brasília time).
The meeting was convened by France and Saudi Arabia. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Brazilian government hopes that the moment will serve as an opportunity for more countries to recognize Palestine as a state.
On Sunday (21), the prime ministers of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer; Canada, Mark Carney; and Australia, Anthony Albanese, formally recognized the State of Palestine.
The positions of these three traditional US allies were announced via social media, condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza that killed tens of thousands of people – many of them innocent civilians.
The statements also hold the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas responsible for the October 2023 attack, when hundreds of people were killed or captured at a party in Israel near the Gaza Strip border. All made it clear that Hamas should not have a role in the State of Palestine.
UN
Lula traveled to the United States on Sunday (21) to participate in the 80th United Nations General Assembly, accompanied by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and other ministers and experts in the delegation.
As a tradition since 1955, Brazil will be the first member state to speak at the opening of the general debate. Lula will speak on Tuesday morning (23), right after the speeches by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the president of the 80th General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock.
Democracy
On Wednesday (24), the president will participate in the second edition of the event In Defense of Democracy and Against Extremism, accompanied by representatives from about 30 countries. In addition to Brazil, the initiative is led by the presidents of Chile, Gabriel Boric, and Spain, Pedro Sánchez.
According to Itamaraty, the initiative aims to advance active diplomacy that promotes international cooperation against the deterioration of institutions, disinformation, hate speech, and social inequality. The first meeting took place in Chile in July, when a joint declaration was published.
Climate Crisis
Also on the 24th, an event on the climate crisis – another priority on Lula’s agenda in New York – will be co-chaired by Brazil and the UN Secretary-General. The meeting is expected to include the presentation of new nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
The president will also take part in New York in an event organized by Brazil to broaden support for the creation of the Forever Tropical Forests Fund, to be launched in Belém with the aim of financing forest preservation.
Another agenda item is the meeting promoted by the Global Center on Adaptation to discuss climate change adaptation mechanisms.
Source: Agência Brasil