MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula wants permanent UN Security Council seats for Africa and Latin America

The absence of Africa and Latin America from the UN's Security Council is a remnant of colonialist practices, Lula underlined

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Tuesday opened the 79th United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York with a speech focused on the Security Council's shortcomings in the face of recent global events and called for a permanent seat on the body for Latin America as well as for Africa while insisting that such an omission was “an unacceptable echo of the domination practices of the colonial past.” Today, only the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom are permanent members, and all of them have veto powers.

 Lula then underlined the need for a “broad review” of the UN's charter and argued that other institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, had adapted to the new reality, without which “there would be no effective change.”

The Brazilian head of state also pointed out that Latin America was going through a “new lost decade” with an average growth of “barely 0.9%” while “false patriots” or “ultra-liberals” have risen in the local political scene. He most likely had Argentine President Javier Milei in mind but never mentioned him by name. Lula described the current scenario as very similar to that of the 1980s, which he claimed had “disastrous effects on the political landscape” as ultra-liberals “aggravate the difficulties.”

“The future of Latin America is to build sustainable, inclusive states that confront all forms of discrimination” and “are not intimidated by corporations, digital platforms or individuals who believe they are above the law,” Lula also mentioned.

He also claimed that the “difficult approval” of the newly-signed Pact for the Future showed “the weakening of our collective capacity for negotiation and dialogue.” He added that “its limited scope is also an expression of the paradox of our time: we go round in circles between possible compromises that lead to insufficient results.”

“Not even with the tragedy of Covid-19 were we able to unite around a Pandemic Treaty at the World Health Organization,” Lula also noted. “We need to go much further and provide the UN with the necessary means to face the dizzying changes in the international landscape,” he went on.

In Lula's view, the global governance crisis requires structural transformations, including the UN Charter, which has never undergone a comprehensive reform even though there were 51 countries when the organization was founded, and today, there are 193. “The current version of the Charter does not address some of humanity's most pressing challenges,” Lula lamented. The various armed conflicts that exist in the world have “the potential to become generalized confrontations,” he also stressed, while denouncing that the position of UN Secretary-General has never been held by a woman.

According to Agencia Brasil, the South American country also proposed transforming the UN's Economic and Social Council into the main forum for dealing with sustainable development and combating climate change, with a real capacity to inspire the financial institutions; revitalizing the role of the General Assembly, including on issues of international peace and security; strengthening the Peacebuilding Commission; and reforming the Security Council, focusing on its composition, working methods and veto rights, to make it more effective and representative of contemporary realities.

“I have no illusions about the complexity of a reform like this, which will confront crystallized interests in maintaining the status quo. It will require an enormous effort to negotiate, but that is our responsibility. We cannot wait for another world tragedy, like World War II, before building a new global governance on its rubble. The will of the majority can persuade those who cling to the crude expressions of the mechanisms of power,” Lula also reckoned.

This year, the General Assembly's general debate is focused on “Leaving no one behind: acting together to advance peace, sustainable development, and human dignity for present and future generations.”

It was the ninth time Lula has opened the general debate of heads of state. During his two previous terms in office, he took part in the event every year between 2003 and 2009. In 2010, he was represented by the then Foreign Minister and current Special Advisor Celso Amorim. Last year, in his third term, Lula also opened the debate session.

While in New York since Sept. 21, Lula has held meetings with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Haiti's Prime Minister Garry Conille.