By Gabi Khumalo
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Brazil - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has challenged BRICS nations to take the lead in reshaping international governance to reflect the world’s new multipolar reality.
Addressing the Peace, Security and Global Governance Session in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday, President Lula warned about the collapse of multilateralism and the risk to the advancements made in climate and trade regimes.
“The United Nations recently marked its 80th anniversary on June 26 of this year, and we are witnessing an unprecedented collapse of multilateralism. The advent of the UN marked the defeat of Nazi-Fascism and the birth of a sense of collective hope.
“BRICS is an heir of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). With multilateralism under attack, our autonomy is once again in check,” President Lula warned.
Amid the worst sanitation crisis in decades, President Lula said the global health system is being subjected to an unprecedented attack, with “absurd intellectual property demands” that still restrict access to medication.
“It is easier to designate 5% of the GDP to military spending than to allocate the 0.7% that has been promised for Official Development Assistance. This demonstrates that the resources for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda do exist. However, they are not available due to a lack of political priority,” the President said.
President Lula also warned against the instrumentalisation of institutions, including the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, saying this risks the reputation of an organisation that is fundamental for maintaining peace.
He condemned the acts of terrorism, including attacks by Hamas and in Kashmir, as well as the genocidal practices by Israel in Gaza, the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, and the use of starvation as a weapon of war.
President Lula believes that the solution to this conflict will only be possible with the end of the Israeli occupation and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian State within the 1967 borders.
“The Brazilian government [has] denounced the violations of Iran's territorial integrity, just as it had done in the case of Ukraine. The parties engaged in the war in Ukraine must urgently deepen a direct dialogue that aims for a ceasefire and a lasting peace."
He said that the "Friends for Peace" group, formed by China and Brazil, and comprising countries from the Global South, aims to identify potential avenues for ending hostilities. – SAnews.gov.za
