In his speech at the UN General Assembly, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) criticized attempts by countries to “reissue the Cold War”, said that the war in Ukraine demonstrates the inability of member countries of the United Nations and denounced the economic embargo on Cuba.
Throughout his speech, Lula warned that the sustainability goals defined by the UN – such as the 2030 Agenda – depend on peace to prosper.
“Armed conflicts are an affront to human rationality. We know the horrors and suffering produced by all wars. Promoting a culture of peace is a duty for all of us. Building it requires persistence and vigilance,” she said.
The Brazilian president drew attention to the situation of the Palestinians “and the difficulty of guaranteeing the creation of a State” for their people, in addition to the crises in Haiti, Yemen, Libya, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Guinea-Conakry, Mali, Niger, Sudan and Guatemala.
Without mentioning Russia, Lula criticizes sanctions and says that war exposes incapacity
In front of an Assembly attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with whom he will meet on Wednesday (20), Lula said that the war in Ukraine “exposes our collective inability to make the purposes and principles of the UN Charter prevail” .
“We do not underestimate the difficulties in achieving peace. But no solution will be lasting if it is not based on dialogue. I have reiterated that we need to work to create space for negotiations”, he added.
See also: Lula and Zelensky will meet Wednesday (20) afternoon, in NY
Without mentioning Russia, the Brazilian president said that “unilateral sanctions cause great harm to the population of the affected countries”. “In addition to not achieving their alleged objectives, they hinder the processes of mediation, prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts”, he added.
Lula again criticizes embargo on Cuba and “attempt to repeat the Cold War”
Reaffirming the statements he made when he was in Havana last weekend, Lula criticized the economic embargo imposed on Cuba.
“Brazil will continue to denounce measures taken without support from the UN Charter, such as the economic and financial embargo imposed on Cuba and the attempt to classify this country as a state sponsor of terrorism,” he said.
“We will remain critical of any attempt to divide the world into zones of influence and to renew the Cold War,” he added.
Security Council has lost credibility, says Lula
The president also demanded greater representation in the composition of the UN Security Council, which, according to Lula, “has been progressively losing its credibility”.
“This fragility arises in particular from the actions of its permanent members, who wage unauthorized wars in search of territorial expansion or regime change. Its paralysis is the most eloquent proof of the need and urgency to reform it, giving it greater representativeness and effectiveness,” he stated.
At another point, Lula said that the community needs to choose between two paths. “On the one hand, there is the expansion of conflicts, the deepening of inequalities and the erosion of the Rule of Law. On the other, the renewal of multilateral institutions dedicated to promoting peace”, he added.
UN Assembly
The UN General Assembly began this Tuesday (19) with more than 140 heads of state and government participating in person or represented by diplomats.
The events of the Assembly’s “General Debate”, with the presence of authorities from UN member countries, which takes place at the Organization’s headquarters in New York, USA, will last until the 26th.
Lula arrived in the city on Saturday night (16) after participating in the G77+China leaders’ meeting in Cuba. The PT member is expected to remain in the United States until Thursday (21).
Why is Lula the first to speak?
Brazil was one of the founding members of the UN, in 1945, and has been the country that has opened the organization’s speeches since 1947. There is no formal reason for this, but, in diplomatic circles, deference is given to the important work of Brazilian diplomat Oswaldo Aranha, who presided over the General Assembly in 1947.
There is also the thesis that Brazil was chosen to open the work to avoid tensions between the United States and the then Soviet Union, which were beginning to have a troubled relationship during the Cold War. Brazil was a neutral country.
Source: CNN Brasil
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