In a historic speech, Brasil's president addressed the global inaction in response to climate, geopolitical, and social crises, demanding structural reforms and practical commitment from world leaders to solve the problems. Lula called on all countries to join the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, which will be launched at the G20 Summit in November.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made one of the most compelling speeches of his presidency during the opening of the 79th UN General Assembly. Mixing criticism and appeal, his speech exposed the major nations' inability to come together to face global challenges and highlighted the necessary effort in various sectors to transform the world's reality. "We're walking in circles, in between possible compromises that lead to insufficient results," he stated.
Lula spared no 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' dialog capacity. For Brasil's president, this pact represents the paradox of our time, when 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 discourse. Lula pointed out that 2023 saw the highest number of conflicts since the Second World War and global military spending reached the 2.4 trillion dollar mark. Brasil's president lamented that while this vast amount of money is going to war, millions of people remain hungry and without support 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 called attention to the humanitarian crisis spreading in the Middle East, especially in Gaza and the West Bank, describing the situation as "one of the major humanitarian crises in recent history." He lamented the cycle of violence, where "the right of defense has become the right of revenge," aggravating the suffering of civilians and preventing a ceasefire that could save lives.
Brasil's president lamented that while this vast amount of money is going to war, millions of people remain hungry and without support 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.
Climate Change
Another central theme of the speech was the global climate crisis. Brasil's president criticized the lack of compliance with climate agreements and the inertia in reducing carbon emissions. He pointed out that 2024 is on course to be the hottest year in modern history and mentioned environmental disasters, from hurricanes in the Caribbean to floods in southern Brasil, as clear examples of perceived impacts. "The planet has had enough of unfulfilled climate agreements," he stated, stressing that Brasil has assumed its responsibility, reducing deforestation in the Amazonia by 50% and committing to its complete eradication by 2030.
Lula also recalled that Brasil will host COP-30 in 2025, focusing on multilateralism to tackle the climate emergency. He emphasized that Brasil is a leader in the energy transition, with a clean energy mix and major investments in biofuels, renewable energy, and green hydrogen.
For Lula, technological advances must benefit humanity, especially by eradicating hunger and reducing inequality. He pointed out that although Artificial Intelligence offers innovative solutions, these resources are not being properly distributed. For him, nothing is as absurd and unacceptable as the permanence of hunger and poverty at a time when we have so much at our disposal, so many scientific and technological resources, and the artificial intelligence revolution.
"The planet has had enough of unfulfilled climate agreements," he stated, stressing that Brasil has assumed its responsibility, reducing deforestation in the Amazonia by 50% and committing to its complete eradication by 2030.
Lula argued that technology, especially AI, can be a powerful ally in creating effective solutions to tackle global food insecurity. However, he also warned of the dangers of its unregulated use, which currently further deepens economic and social disparities. The challenge is to ensure that technological innovations such as AI are used ethically and equitably, benefiting everyone, not just large corporations.
Lula invited all countries to join the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty that 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 proposal's inclusive and global nature.
Tax on Large Fortunes
Another highlight of the speech was the proposal to tax large fortunes as a measure to tackle the increasing inequalities exacerbated by globalization. Lula criticized the disproportionate accumulation of wealth by a few while millions of people around the world continue to live in extreme poverty.
"The fortunes of the top five billionaires have more than doubled since the beginning of this decade, while 60% of humanity has become poorer." Throughout human history, never have so many people possessed such a small amount and so few people concentrated so much wealth. "The super-rich pay proportionally much less tax than the working class," and to correct this anomaly, Brasil has insisted on international cooperation to develop minimum standards of global taxation.
Lula stressed that the redistribution of wealth is essential to fighting inequality and called for an international effort to create mechanisms that guarantee the taxation of large fortunes. The president argued that these resources could be used for public policies, especially those designed to eradicate hunger and poverty worldwide. It is necessary to rethink the global economic system, in which the excessive wealth of a few perpetuates the misery of millions. At the G20, there is an effort to consider and implement an equitable tax that can finance social programs and initiatives to fight hunger.
"Throughout human history, never have so many people possessed such a small amount and so few people concentrated so much wealth. The super-rich pay proportionally much less tax than the working class," and to correct this anomaly, Brasil has insisted on international cooperation to develop minimum standards of global taxation.
Reform of Global Governance
In President Lula's speech, he highlighted the importance of reforming global governance to address contemporary challenges more equitably and efficiently. Lula argued that the current international structures, created in the post-World War II context, no longer reflect the realities and needs of the current world and that this gap is an obstacle to solving global problems such as hunger, climate change, and inequality. In his opinion, the UN Charter is already 80 years old and fails to meet the current challenges.
Reform of International Institutions: Lula stressed that international organizations such as the United Nations (UN), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank need significant reforms to become more representative and democratic. He emphasized that these institutions are still dominated by developed countries, perpetuating inequality on the international stage, especially regarding developing nations.
"Several nations, especially in Africa, were under colonial rule and could not decide on their objectives and functioning. There is no gender equality in the exercise of the highest positions. The position of Secretary-General has never been held by a woman."
"Several nations, especially in Africa, were under colonial rule and could not decide on their objectives and functioning. There is no gender equality in the exercise of the highest positions. The position of Secretary-General has never been held by a woman."
Global economic reform
Brasil's president criticized the lack of access to financial resources for middle- and low-income countries, highlighting the unequal and unfair loan rates. For Lula, the poorest nations are financing the richest, a "perverse inversion" of the concept of global aid. "It's a reverse Marshall Plan," he said, referring to the historic US aid after the Second World War. He called for deep reforms in the IMF and the World Bank; otherwise, according to him, there would be no effective change for developing countries.
In addition, Lula has again addressed the extreme inequality in the world, mentioning the exorbitant profits of the world's largest companies and the increasing fortunes of billionaires, while 60% of humanity is impoverished. He called for fairer global taxation, with the super-rich paying their proportional share and the urgency of a supportive international tax policy.
Lula's speech at the UN was a call to action. According to him, Brasil will continue fighting to establish more inclusive global governance, end hunger and poverty, and preserve the environment while challenging the status quo of the global powers. " We can't wait for another world tragedy to happen, like World War II, and only then construct a new global governance on its rubble." Lula believes that the future depends on our ability to transform words into actions and made it clear that multilateralism and social and environmental justice are the central pillars to building a more balanced and sustainable world.
