President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva delivered one of the most impactful speeches of his presidency during the opening of the 79th UN General Assembly in September. Mixing criticism and appeal, his speech exposed the inability of major nations to unite to face global challenges and highlighted the necessary effort across various sectors to transform the reality of the world. “We are going in circles, between possible commitments that lead to insufficient results,” he stated.
Lula did not spare criticism of the current state of global negotiations, including the approval of the Pact for the Future, which was achieved “with difficulty,” revealing the weakening of nations’ dialogue capacity. For the president of Brazil, this pact represents the paradox of our time, where fragile and insufficient commitments have become the norm. “We are living in times of increasing anguish, frustration, tension, and fear,” he said.
The scenario of international conflicts was the opening of the speech. Lula pointed out that 2023 recorded the highest number of conflicts since World War II and global military spending reached $2.4 trillion. The president of Brazil lamented that while this vast sum goes to war, millions of people remain hungry and unsupported in the face of climate change. “The use of force, without the support of international law, is becoming the norm,” he criticized, emphasizing the devastating impact of simultaneous wars in places like Ukraine, Gaza, and, more recently, Lebanon.
Lula also drew attention to the humanitarian crisis spreading in the Middle East, especially in Gaza and the West Bank, describing the situation as “one of the greatest humanitarian crises in recent history.” He lamented the cycle of violence, where “the right to defense has become the right to revenge,” exacerbating the suffering of civilians and preventing a ceasefire that could save lives.
Climate Change
Another central theme of his speech was the global climate crisis. The president of Brazil criticized the failure to comply with climate agreements and the inertia in reducing carbon emissions. He pointed out that 2024 is on track to be the hottest year in modern history and mentioned environmental disasters, from hurricanes in the Caribbean to floods in southern Brazil, as clear examples of perceived impacts. “The planet is fed up with unmet climate agreements,” he stated, emphasizing that Brazil has taken its responsibility, reducing deforestation in the Amazon by 50% and committing to its complete eradication by 2030.
Lula also recalled that Brazil will host COP-30 in 2025, focusing on multilateralism to tackle the climate emergency. He emphasized that Brazil is a leader in the energy transition, with a clean energy matrix and significant investments in biofuels, renewable energy, and green hydrogen.
For Lula, technological advances should benefit humanity, especially in eradicating hunger and reducing inequality. He pointed out that while Artificial Intelligence offers innovative solutions, these resources are not being distributed adequately. For him, nothing is as absurd and unacceptable as the persistence of hunger and poverty at a time when we have so much available, so many scientific and technological resources, and the revolution of artificial intelligence.
Lula invited all countries to join the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, which will be launched during the G20 Leaders’ Summit in November 2024 in Rio de Janeiro. The goal is to attract the largest number of signatory countries and international partners committed to creating transformative public policies that can reduce hunger and poverty in the long term. The initiative is open to all countries, not just G20 members, demonstrating the inclusive and global nature of the proposal.
Source: G20.ORG