At the UN General Assembly, Brazil’s Lula calls for global union against inequality, hunger and climate change

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva opened the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations, this Tuesday morning (19), in New York, with a speech in which he reiterated the need for global union against inequality and hunger; the adoption of urgent measures against climate change; and the reform of global governance institutions.

The world is becoming increasingly unequal. The 10 biggest billionaires possess greater wealth than the poorest 40% of humanity. We must first of all overcome the resignation which makes us accept such injustice as a natural phenomenon.”

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil

This is the eighth time Lula has opened the UN's main annual event as president of Brazil – he was only absent in 2010 – and he recalled his first speech two decades ago at the 58th General Assembly. “Twenty years ago, I occupied this platform for the first time. And I said, on that September 23, 2003: ‘May my first words before this World Parliament be of confidence in the human capacity to overcome challenges and evolve towards superior forms of coexistence.’ I return today to say that I maintain my unshakable trust in humanity,” he stated.

To Lula, climate change has become one of the main threats to humanity over the last two decades, especially to the most vulnerable populations. “At that time, the world had not yet realized the severity of the climate crisis. Today it is knocking on our doors, destroying our homes, our cities, our countries, killing and imposing losses and suffering, especially on the poorest.”

» President Lula's full speech

» High resolution photographs (Flickr)

This problem helps to amplify the consequences of inequality, according to Lula. Despite food production having been modernized, a significant portion of humanity continues to suffer from food insecurity.

“Hunger, the central topic of my speech 20 years ago, now affects 735 million human beings, who go to bed without knowing if they will have anything to eat tomorrow. The world is becoming increasingly unequal. The 10 biggest billionaires have more wealth than the poorest 40% of humanity,” stated the president. “First of all, we must overcome the resignation which makes us accept such injustice as a natural phenomenon.”

At the UN, the president reaffirmed the three priorities that will guide the Brazilian Presidency of the G20 beginning on December 1, 2023: the fight against hunger, poverty and inequality; the energy transition and sustainable development in its three dimensions (economic, social and environmental); and the reform of the international governance system.

AN UNEQUAL WORLD – In his speech, President Lula highlighted that inequality creates or expands most of the crises that the world is now facing. This requires firm action from world governments, not only to contain the serious consequences, but to reach the roots of the problems.

“The international community is immersed in a whirlwind of multiple and simultaneous crises: the Covid-19 pandemic, the climate crisis and food and energy insecurity amplified by growing geopolitical tensions. Racism, intolerance and xenophobia have spread, encouraged by new technologies created supposedly to bring us closer together,” he said.

“The richest 10% of the world's population are responsible for almost half of all carbon released into the atmosphere. We, developing countries, do not want to repeat this model.”

Created by the UN to establish sustainable development goals for the planet, the 2030 Agenda is the main instrument to alleviate these pressures, but, to the President, the objectives for the end of the decade will not be met.

“The moral and political imperative to eradicate poverty and end hunger appears to have been numbed. Over these seven years that we have left, reducing inequalities within and between countries should become the summary objective of the 2030 Agenda,” he declared.

CLIMATE CHANGE – Lula also highlighted that climate change must be faced collectively, but that industrialized countries must fulfill their historical and material responsibility.

“Rich countries grew based on a model that emitted high rates of climate-damaging gas. The climate emergency makes it urgent to correct course and implement what has already been agreed upon. It is for no other reason that we speak of common, but differentiated, responsibilities. It is vulnerable populations in the Global South who are most affected by the losses and damages caused by climate change. The richest 10% of the world's population are responsible for almost half of all carbon released into the atmosphere. We, the developing countries, do not want to repeat this model,” said the President.

Lula also criticized rich countries for not complying with climate agreements. “The promise to allocate US$100 billion annually to developing countries remains just that: a promise. Today this value would be insufficient for a demand that already adds up to trillions of dollars.”

Energy transition occupies an important place, as it allows non-renewable and polluting generation to be replaced by renewable sources. Just as he has done throughout the year at international events, Lula highlighted that Brazil is a global example in the production of clean energy.

“In Brazil, we have already proven once – and we will do so again – that a socially fair and environmentally sustainable model is possible. We are at the forefront of the energy transition, and our matrix is ​​already one of the cleanest in the world. 87% of our electrical energy comes from clean and renewable sources. Our generation of solar, wind, biomass, ethanol and biodiesel energy increases every year. The potential for producing green hydrogen is enormous. With our Ecological Transformation Plan, we will focus on sustainable industrialization and infrastructure,” he highlighted.

THE AMAZON SPEAKS UP FOR ITSELF – Also concerning the climate and the environment, the president mentioned the initiative of bringing together representatives from all Amazon countries at the Amazon Summit last month, seeking alignment and creating a new collaboration agenda between countries that belong to the biome.

"We have resumed a robust and renewed Amazon agenda, including actions for inspection and combating environmental crimes. Over the last eight months, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has already dropped by 48%. The world has always talked about the Amazon. Now, the Amazon is speaking up for itself. We hosted the Belém Summit a month ago, in the heart of the Amazon, and launched a new collaboration agenda between the countries that belong to the biome. We are 50 million Amazonian South Americans whose future depends on decisive action and coordination of countries that have sovereignty over territories in the region," said the President.

The UN Security Council has been progressively losing credibility. This frailty arises particularly from the actions of its permanent members, who wage unauthorized wars towards territorial expansion or regime change. The Security Council’s paralysis is the most eloquent proof of the urgency to reform it"

GLOBAL GOVERNANCE – Ultimately, inequality is also reproduced in international institutions. Once again, President Lula called for reform of these multilateral bodies – so that they do not function only to maintain the privileges of developed countries.

“The principle on which multilateralism is based – that of sovereign equality between nations – has been eroded. Negotiations in which all countries have a voice and vote have lost strength within the main instances of global governance. When institutions reproduce inequalities, they are part of the problem, not the solution. Last year, the IMF made US$160 billion in special withdrawal rights available to European countries, and only US$34 billion to African countries. This unequal and distorted representation in the management of the IMF and the World Bank is unacceptable,” declared Lula.

Within the UN, the Security Council – which has limited action and is unable to intervene in the face of conflicts caused by its own permanent members, as has been happening in recent years – is an organization that, according to President Lula, must be reviewed.

“The UN Security Council has been progressively losing credibility. This frailty arises particularly from the actions of its permanent members, who wage unauthorized wars towards territorial expansion or regime change. The Security Council’s paralysis is the most eloquent proof of the need and urgency to reform it, affording it greater representativeness and effectiveness,” highlighted Lula. “The UN must fulfill its role as the builder of a fairer, more supportive and fraternal world.”