‘Progressively losing its credibility’ – Lula criticises UN Security Council, other institutions during speech at General Assembly

« Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized the UN Security Council during his speech at the UN General Assembly in New York City on Tuesday, citing measures, such as the economic and financial embargo imposed on Cuba, that were taken without the support of the UN Charter.
« We will remain critical of any attempt to divide the world into zones of influence and to reissue the Cold War. The UN Security Council is progressively losing credibility. This fragility stems in particular from the actions of its permanent members, who wage unauthorized wars in pursuit of territorial expansion or regime change, » Lula declared.
He expanded his criticism to the World Bank and to the IMF, which, according to him, made 160 billion dollars in special drawing rights available to European countries and only 34 billion to African countries, and said that when ‘institutions reproduce inequalities, they are part of the problem and not part of the solution’.
« The unequal and distorted representation at the head of the IMF and the World Bank is unacceptable. We have not corrected the excesses of market deregulation and the apology for the minimal state. The foundations for new economic governance have not been laid. BRICS emerged in the wake of this immobility and is a strategic platform for promoting cooperation between emerging countries, » he said.
The Brazilian President also addressed environmental issues and stated that rich countries have developed using a model that emits high levels of climate-damaging gases. He also emphasised that his government will prioritise sustainable industrialisation and infrastructure through the implementation of the Ecological Transformation Plan
« The richest 10% of the world’s population are responsible for almost half of all the carbon released into the atmosphere. We in developing countries don’t want to repeat this model, » the Brazilian stated. « Over the last eight months, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has already been reduced by 48%. The whole world has always talked about the Amazon. Now, the Amazon is speaking for itself. »
When recalling that hunger was the central theme of his speech at the General Assembly 20 years ago, Lula declared that the world is ‘increasingly unequal’, mentioning that 735 million human beings do not know when their next meal will be.
The Brazilian President also stated that it is ‘essential’ to preserve freedom of the press and affirmed that journalists like Julian Assange cannot be punished for informing society in a ‘transparent and legitimate way’.
During the 78th session’s General Debate, approximately 140 world leaders will speak on various global and regional concerns, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, climate change, political turmoil in West Africa, economic instability, and recent natural disasters. »



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