President Lula is expected to address the climate crisis, conflicts, and global financial reforms in his speech at the UN General Assembly

09/24/2024

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The climate crisis, conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, and the urgent need for reforms in multilateral mechanisms will be at the center of President Lula’s speech this Tuesday at the United Nations headquarters in New York. However, the ambiguity in his environmental discourse—balancing Brazil’s desire to lead on green issues while simultaneously pursuing the exploitation of the last drop of oil—will not escape the scrutiny of more critical analysts.

As is customary, Mr. Lula will be the first leader to speak right after the secretary-general of the United Nations, António Guterres, and the president of the 79th United Nations General Assembly, Philémon Yang.

Climate, wars, and UN and multilateral reforms are “inescapable topics,” a government official told Valor. Brazil is experiencing unprecedented droughts and wildfires across the country. In May, the state of Rio Grande do Sul endured the devastation of severe flooding.

Considering the extreme climate impacts on Brazil, Mr. Lula is expected to call out industrialized nations for their role in the global crisis, emphasizing the delay in fulfilling the promise to allocate $100 billion annually to developing nations starting in 2020. This target was only met in 2022, two years later, with nearly 70% of the total coming in the form of loans.

On Monday, President Lula held three bilateral meetings—with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille.

With Germany, he continued discussions from last November in Berlin regarding cooperation on renewable energy and hydrogen. With Ursula von der Leyen, Mr. Lula discussed advancing the conclusion of the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur. With Garry Conille, the Brazilian president committed to helping Haiti and mobilizing other powers to do the same.

The most uncomfortable situation for Mr. Lula so far in New York was a meeting kept off the official agenda—a one-hour session with the global CEO of the British oil company Shell, Wael Sawan, and the president of Shell Brasil, Cristiano Pinto da Costa.

As reported by BBC Brasil, the meeting took place Monday morning at the residence of Brazil’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Sérgio França Danese, where Mr. Lula and First Lady Rosângela da Silva are staying. Presidential aides told the BBC they had been instructed not to disclose the meeting.

Mr. Da Costa told Valor earlier this month that Shell is considering exploring oil areas on the Equatorial Margin, particularly in the basin at the mouth of the Amazon River, should the government decide to move forward in the region stretching from Amapá to Rio Grande do Norte.

Another important event on President Lula’s agenda this Tuesday at the United Nations will be a conference co-organized by the Brazilian president and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. “It will not be a gathering of left-wing leaders but a defense of democracy and a stand against extremism,” a government official said.

Leaders such as Justin Trudeau (Canada), Gabriel Boric (Barbados), Gustavo Petro (Colombia), Emmanuel Macron (France), and Charles Michel (President of the European Council) are expected to attend. However, the U.S. will likely send a lower-ranking official, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, as reported by Folha de S.Paulo.

The meeting, titled “In Defense of Democracy: Combating Extremism,” is a key item on the Brazilian president’s agenda in New York. Mr. Lula reportedly invited Joe Biden in a phone call back in July.

On Monday night, there was some tension between President Lula and Mr. Biden’s security team at an event hosted by former U.S. President Bill Clinton’s foundation. Mr. Biden had confirmed his attendance at the last minute, leading to heightened security measures, including the arrival of U.S. Secret Service agents. When the Brazilian delegation arrived, some members were denied entry. Protocols were broken, with demands to search ministers and ambassadors. President Lula, reportedly irritated, canceled his participation.

President Lula then attended a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation event, where he participated in a talk show-style discussion with Bill Gates and received an award for his fight against poverty and hunger.

Mr. Lula was sharply critical of global wealth concentration during his remarks, highlighting the poor’s lack of access to decision-making platforms. “It’s not acceptable that a single individual has more money than Brazil, with its 200 million inhabitants.”

In a highly critical tone, Mr. Lula pointed to the ineffectiveness of the UN’s decisions, continuing the theme of his Sunday speech in New York.

“The world is ungoverned, no one respects anyone. The UN had 51 member countries at its founding in 1945, now there are 193. More than 140 didn’t participate in the creation of the UN. It had the strength to create the State of Israel, but the UN doesn’t have the courage to create the State of Palestine,” he said, earning immediate applause from the hundreds of people in the auditorium.

He continued by stating that current geopolitical conflicts, such as Russia’s war against Ukraine and Israel’s occupation of Gaza, could have been avoided “if the UN fulfilled its role as a global power.”

One of Mr. Lula’s final events in New York before returning to Brazil will take place on Wednesday, when he will open the second meeting of G20 foreign ministers at the UN headquarters. For the first time in history, the world’s largest economies will jointly call for reforms to the multilateral system.

*Por Daniela Chiaretti, Naiara Bertão — New York

Source: Valor International

https://valorinternational.globo.com/