UN Assembly: Lula defends multilateralism against the climate crisis and regulations for digital platforms
A timid mention of indigenous peoples and the lack of references to the Venezuelan political and human rights crisis are weak aspects of the speech; read the analysis prepared by Conectas below
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 24: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, speaks during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters on September 24, 2024 in New York City. World leaders convened for the General Assembly as the world continues to experience major wars in Gaza, Ukraine and, Sudan along with a threat of a larger conflict in the Middle East. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Michael M. Santiago / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
At the opening of the 79th General Assembly of the UN, this Tuesday (24th), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva restated his commitment to facing the climate crisis amidst the severe forest fires in Brazil. Lula also stated that Latin America will not be intimidated by digital platforms that see themselves as being above the legal system, making a veiled reference to how the platform X (formerly known as Twitter) disregarded Brazilian legal orders.
It is customary for Brazil to open the session of speeches at the General Assembly, with this being the ninth time Lula has taken the stand at the United Nations to inaugurate one of the main global forums, discussing major challenges related to the promotion of peace, democracy, and human rights. The assembly gathers the 193 Member States of the UN.
Climate Crisis
In his speech, Lula highlighted the climate emergencies that Brazil has faced, such as the severe flooding in the south of the country and the worst drought in the Amazon in 45 years. “My administration does not outsource responsibilities; we have done a lot, but there is still much to be done”, he stated, emphasizing Brazilian sovereignty over the country’s environmental policies. When mentioning COP30, to be held in Belém (PA) in 2025, the president stated his conviction that multilateralism is the only path forward in order to overcome the climate crisis.
Lula also mentioned that Brazil is one of the countries with the cleanest energy matrix, stating that this year Brazil is to release the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), “in line with the purpose of limiting the planet’s temperature increase to one degree and a half”.
The president also highlighted the need to listen to indigenous and traditional communities. “It is no longer possible to think of solutions for tropical forests without hearing indigenous peoples, traditional communities and all their members. Our perspective of sustainable development is based on the potential of bioeconomy”. In spite of this reference, Lula refrained from mentioning conflicts around the time frame thesis in his speech, conflicts that involve the Judiciary branch and the Brazilian Parliament.
For Júlia Neiva, director of Conectas Direitos Humanos, Lula’s posture when acknowledging the severity of the climate crisis is positive. “This allows civil society to request concrete actions, both in response to the emergencies around the fires and long-term solutions”. However, Neiva warns that there could be problems in suggesting to the international community that Brazil’s energy matrix is clean and sustainable, given the history of socio-environmental rights violations, involving hydroelectric power plants and wind complexes. “Even though renewable energy is one of the best paths to take, the energy transition must be fair and inclusive.”
Regarding the COP 30, Neiva stresses that “Brazil must commit to ensuring an effective participation in the preparation and conducting of the Summit, much further from just a nominal participation and presence in photographs, for members of civil society and traditional communities, all of whom contribute greatly to preserving the environment”.
Digital Platforms and Artificial Intelligence
Another key point in Lula’s speech was the regulation of digital platforms and artificial intelligence. The president warned of “asymmetries that lead to an oligopoly of knowledge”, criticizing the concentration of power in the hands of a small group of companies and countries. “AI must have a Global South component to it, respecting human rights and promoting information integrity”, stated Lula, defending that technology must be a tool for peace, and not war.
Lula also alluded to businessman Elon Musk, stating that “businessmen are not above the law”, alluding to the Brazilian Supreme Court’s control over the platform X. To Lula, digital platforms must be held accountable for the spread of hate speech, racism, and misinformation.
The organizations Conectas, D-Hub and Geledés – Instituto da Mulher Negra, in a document submitted with contributions for the Brazilian State at the Summit against Extremism, state that digital platforms “benefit from the lack of regulation when most countries handle the impacts of technology”. These entities stress the importance of establishing a debate on information integrity and AI regulation in international forums and that Brazil must work internally and externally to regulate digital platforms, attempting to hinder the spread of hate speech, racism, misogyny, misinformation, and threats to democracy.
Global crises
Lula stated that Brazil strongly condemned the invasion of Ukrainian territory by Russia and said that he laments seeing “war extending with no perspective of peace”. To him, “creating conditions to reestablish direct dialog among the parties involved is crucial at this time”. When addressing the subject of Gaza, the Brazilian president also stated that the world is watching “one of the deepest humanitarian crises in recent history, which is now dangerously extending itself to Lebanon”. The president stressed that the “terrorist acts of fanatics”, referring to Hamas attacks against Israeli civilians, “led to the collective punishment of the entire Palestinian people”, highlighting that there have been over 40,000 fatal victims.
Though mentioning that 300 million people require humanitarian aid worldwide, the president refrained from mentioning the crisis in Venezuela. “The absence of the topic in his speech is surprising, because the Brazilian State has been an important player in mediating the conflict in this Latin American country. Besides, this is not only a political-electoral crisis, but a migratory and humanitarian one, with impacts including severe human rights violations, such as the reduction of space of influence for civil society, arbitrary detentions, and the violent repression of protests”, analyzes Julia Neiva.
Agenda in New York
Lula’s agenda in New York includes bilateral meetings and other public events focusing on the defense of democracy, the struggle against the climate crisis, and the fight against extremism. In addition to opening the UN Assembly, the president has joined the Summit of the Future on Sunday (22), at the headquarters of the United Nations (UN), in New York. At that event, the Pact for the Future was approved in the form of a document that contains commitments on reforms to the multilateral system. This Tuesday (24), Lula is to take part in the debate “In Defense of Democracy: Fighting Against Extremism” along with representatives from other countries, such as Spain, Barbados, Cabo Verde, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the United States, France, Kenya, Mexico, Norway, Senegal, East Timor, the European Council and the United Nations.
Conectas in Nova York
Conectas is in New York taking part in several events: Action Days, as part of the Summit of the Future, which gathered over 1,600 participants at the headquarters of the United Nations, with intense youth presence; and Climate Week, which included a panel on climate justice.
