Brasília – On September 23, Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will deliver the traditional opening speech at the 80th UN General Assembly in New York, United States. In addition to outlining the priorities of Brazil’s foreign policy, President Lula will attend meetings on the Palestinian Question and the climate crisis ahead of the global COP30 climate negotiations to be held in Belém, Brazil, in November.
During his trip to New York, Lula will take part in the 2nd session of the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, convened by France and Saudi Arabia. “From Brazil’s perspective, sustainable peace in the region can only be achieved if both parties are able to negotiate on equal terms, which includes the state capacity of Palestine,” explained Marcelo Marotta Viegas, director of the Department of International Organizations at Brazil’s Foreign Ministry, on Monday (15).
The representative of Brazil’s Foreign Ministry added that the government hopes the occasion will serve as an opportunity for more countries to recognize Palestine as a state. In addition to Brazil, 147 other countries already recognize Palestine. Countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Portugal expressed interest in recognizing Palestine during the UN meeting. Israel and the US, on the other hand, reject recognizing Palestine as a state.
Democracy and climate crisis
President Lula will also take part in the 2nd edition of the high-level event “In Defense of Democracy and Against Extremism” on September 24, alongside leaders from around 30 countries. In addition to Brazil, the initiative is led by Chilean President Gabriel Boric and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
On September 24, an event on the climate crisis will be co-chaired by Brazil and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “The meeting is expected to boost member states’ mobilization for climate action, including the presentation of new nationally determined contributions (NDCs) ahead of COP30,” said Mário Gustavo Mottin, head of the Climate Action Division.
President Lula will also take part in an event organized by Brazil to expand support for the creation of the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF), which is expected to be launched in Belém during COP30 to finance forest preservation. Another item on Lula’s schedule is a meeting hosted by the Global Center on Adaptation to discuss mechanisms for adapting to climate change. The Brazilian delegation will also participate, starting September 22, in Climate Week NYC 2025.
Read more:
Lula: Emerging nations must protect global trade
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
