President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attended the opening of the Future Summit on Sunday, September 22, at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, United States. The event saw the approval of the Pact for the Future, a document that includes commitments on reforms in the multilateral system.
“The Pact for the Future shows us the direction we must follow. The document addresses in an unprecedented way such important issues as the debt of developing countries and international taxation. The creation of an instance of dialogue between heads of state and government and the leaders of international financial institutions promises to put the UN back at the centre of the global economic debate,” the President stressed at the opening of the event.
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The Pact for the Future shows us the direction we should follow. The document addresses in an unprecedented way such important issues as the debt of developing countries and international taxation. The creation of a forum for dialogue between heads of state and government and the leaders of international financial institutions promises to put the UN back at the centre of the global economic debate.”
LUIZ INASCIO LULA DA SILVA
President of the Republic
>> President’s speech at the opening of the Future Summit in New York
The Future Summit precedes the UN General Assembly and brings together heads of state and government from the organisation’s 193 member states, as well as representatives of civil society, researchers, the private sector and youth. The event also seeks to reach consensus on the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations.
“The Global Digital Pact is a starting point for inclusive digital governance that reduces the asymmetries of a data-driven economy and mitigates the impact of new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence,” Lula said.
REFORMS — Although he described the progress envisaged in the Pact for the Future as significant, the President noted that world leaders still lack the ambition and boldness to promote greater change. In his opinion, the crisis of global governance requires structural transformations. “The pandemic, conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, the arms race and climate change have exposed the limitations of multilateral bodies. Most bodies lack the authority and the means of implementation necessary to enforce their decisions,” he argued.
In his opinion, the General Assembly has lost vitality and the Economic and Social Council has been emptied. He also called for a representation of the Global South in line with its current political, economic and demographic weight. “We need the courage and political determination to change, creating today the tomorrow we want. The best legacy we can leave to future generations is a governance capable of responding effectively to the challenges that persist and those that will arise,” stressed Lula.
SIN RECOIL — The Brazilian leader also stressed the importance of not turning back on the progress made in recent decades. “We cannot turn back in promoting gender equality, nor in the fight against racism and all forms of discrimination. Nor can we return to living with nuclear threats. A regression to a world divided by ideological borders or zones of influence is unacceptable,” he said, adding that naturalizing the hunger of 733 million people would be shameful.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT — Lula also spoke about the 2030 Agenda, the global plan made up of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), established during the UN General Assembly in 2015. According to the president, the SDGs “were the largest diplomatic project of recent years and are on their way to becoming our greatest collective failure.” He noted that, if the current pace of implementation is maintained, only 17% of the goals of the 2030 Agenda will be achieved on time.
FIGHT AGAINST HUNGER — The SDGs include eradicating poverty and ending hunger. In this context, Lula said that during the presidency of the G20 — the group of the world’s largest economies — Brazil will launch a Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty to accelerate the overcoming of these scourges. The G20 Leaders’ Summit is scheduled for November 18 and 19 this year in Rio de Janeiro.
CLIMATE — The president also addressed the issue of climate change. “Current levels of greenhouse gas emissions reduction and climate financing are insufficient to keep the planet safe,” he said. In light of this scenario, he stressed that Brazil will work to conduct a global ethical assessment, in collaboration with UN Secretary General António Guterres, that will bring together different sectors of civil society to reflect on climate action from the perspective of justice, equity and solidarity. This initiative is a preparation for the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), which will take place in Belém, capital of the state of Pará, in November 2025.
OTHER COMMITMENTS — During his official visit to New York until Wednesday, September 25, Lula will also participate in the opening of the General Debate of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), in the event “In defense of democracy: fighting extremism”, in the opening of the second meeting of G20 Foreign Ministers, in addition to holding several bilateral meetings.
As the current G20 President, Brazil is also contributing to this meeting to promote the reform of global governance, by launching a Call to Action, which will be adopted at the Meeting on Wednesday, September 25.
The President is accompanied by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira. Other ministers of State also participate in meetings at the United Nations. The Brazilian delegation also participates in high-level meetings on topics such as strengthening multilateralism, reforming global governance, defending democracy, consolidating peace, among others.
