YouSaid · the spoken record

Lula Da Silva

lines on the record: 32
first: 2004-09-24
most recent: 2006-09-24
sittings or episodes: 2
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“What is missing is the political will to use them where they can make a difference. They can then turn despair into joy and find a reason to live.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“As the country with the second-largest black population in the world, we are committed to sharing Africa’s challenges and its destiny. But regional matters are only part of the global problems we face. 06-52731 8 The fight against hunger and poverty, the breakdown of the Doha round and the stalemate in the Middle East are interconnected issues. The appropriate handling of these matters requires trust in negotiated solutions at the multilateral level. This trust has now been shaken. This is extremely serious. The world order that it is our task to build must be based on justice and respect for international law. That is the only way to achieve peace, development and genuine democratic coexistence within the community of nations. There is no lack of resources.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Sooner or later, we must open the way to democratizing international decision-making bodies. As the Secretary-General has said, we travel around the world preaching democracy to others; we must now apply democracy to ourselves and show that there is genuine representation in the political bodies of the United Nations. South America is a priority for Brazilian foreign policy. Our region is our home. We are expanding the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR) and strengthening the South American Community of Nations. The future of Brazil is linked to that of its neighbours. A strong and united South America will contribute to the integration of Latin America and the Caribbean. We also feel connected to the African continent by historical and cultural ties.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“We have already made significant progress through the administrative reform process and the establishment of both the Human Rights Council and the Peacebuilding Commission. But the task will remain irreparably incomplete without changes in the Security Council, the body responsible for overseeing issues related to peace. Together with the other members of the Group of Four on Security Council reform, Brazil believes that any expansion of the Council must envisage the admission of developing countries as permanent members. That would make the Council more democratic, legitimate and representative. The great majority of Member States agree with that view and recognize the urgency of this matter. We cannot deal with new problems using outdated structures.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Thus, we might ask: is it not time to convene a broad-based conference under United Nations auspices, with the participation of countries of the region and others that could make a contribution on the basis of their successful experiences in living peacefully despite differences? Brazil believes in dialogue. For that reason, we held a summit of South American and Arab countries in 2005. We also have good relations with Israel, whose birth as a State came about when a Brazilian, Oswaldo Aranha, was the President of the General Assembly. Conflicts among nations are not resolved only with money and weapons; ideas, values and feelings also have their place, particularly when they are based on real-life experiences. More than ever before, the authority of the United Nations needs to be strengthened.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“The recent crisis in Lebanon exposed the Organization to a dangerous erosion of credibility. The effectiveness of the United Nations is being seriously questioned. Unable to act when it is needed, the Security Council is accused of being lethargic. World public opinion is impatient in the face of such incomprehensible difficulties. The deaths of innocent civilians — including women and children — have shocked all of us. In Brazil, millions of Arabs and Jews live together in harmony. Thus, Brazil’s interest in the Middle East stems from a profound objective social reality in our own country. Apart from the countries directly involved, Middle Eastern issues have always been addressed exclusively by the major Powers. So far, they have found no solution.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“Our generation has a unique opportunity to show the world that selfish interests will not prevail over the common good. History will not forgive us if we miss that opportunity. Fair trade, based on a solid consensus and on a transparent WTO that is aware of the needs of developing countries, is one of the pillars of the world order that we uphold. In the field of international peace and security, another such pillar is the United Nations. Brazil is a staunch supporter of international organizations as forums for cooperation and dialogue. There is no more effective way to bring States together, to keep the peace, to protect human rights, to promote sustainable development and to work out negotiated solutions to common problems. Conflicts such as that in the Middle East continue to challenge the authority of the United Nations.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“If they are successful, the WTO negotiations will help to pull many people out of extreme poverty. Farmers who cannot compete against multi-billion- dollar subsidies will at last have a chance to prosper. Poor African countries will finally be able to export their products. If the round fails, however, the fallout 7 06-52731 will extend far beyond trade. The credibility of the WTO system itself will be jeopardized, with negative political and social repercussions. Scourges such as organized crime, drug trafficking and terrorism will find fertile ground in which to proliferate. I have called on world leaders to shoulder their responsibilities. The importance attached to this issue at the most recent summit of the Group of Eight has not yet produced practical results.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“The old geography of international trade must be profoundly reshaped. Brazil, together with its partners in the Group of Twenty (G-20), is engaged in that task. The creation of the G-20 has changed the dynamics of negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO): until recently, developing countries played only peripheral roles in the most important negotiations. Eliminating the barriers that prevent poor countries from developing is an ethical duty of the international community. It is also the best way to ensure prosperity and security for all. Today, for the first time in the history of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade/WTO system, the word “development” appears in the title of a round of trade negotiations. However, the Doha Development Agenda, which will decide the future of the world trade system, is now in crisis.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“There will be permanent solutions to destitution only when poorer countries can make progress through their own efforts. Once international trade is free and fair, it will be a valuable tool for wealth creation, income distribution and job creation. It is essential that we break the bonds of protectionism. Subsidies granted by richer countries, particularly in the area of agriculture, are oppressive shackles that limit progress and doom poor countries to backwardness. Time and again, I must repeat that, while trade-distorting support in developed countries amount to the outrageous sum of $1 billion a day, 900 million people get by on less than $1 a day in poor and developing countries. That situation is politically and morally untenable. The only thing worse than inaction stemming from ignorance is neglect born of accommodation.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“We are establishing innovative mechanisms, such as a solidarity levy on international air tickets. Hunger and disease walk hand in hand. Therefore, we have joined with other Governments in establishing an International Drug Purchase Facility to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. That initiative will provide new sources of funding and facilitate access to medication at lower costs. We cannot shirk our responsibilities in this area. That is why I salute the leaders of vision who are engaged in this war: the war against the debasement of human beings and against hopelessness. That is the only war in which final victory will mean a triumph for all of humanity. The fight against hunger and poverty is based on the creation of a world order that gives priority to social and economic development.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“That is why, with the serene conviction of a man who has dedicated his life to fighting peacefully for the rights of working people, I say to the Assembly: the search for a new, fairer and more democratic world order is not only in the interests of poor or emerging nations; it is also — and perhaps to an even greater extent — in the interests of rich countries, so long as they have eyes to see and ears to hear, so long as they do not make the mistake of ignoring the haunting cry of the excluded. We have seen some progress in the past few years. At the Summit of World Leaders in 2004, we launched the Action against Hunger and Poverty initiative. Together, we were able to achieve strong international engagement around that issue. Our collective efforts have begun to bear fruit.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“The poor must be given reasons to live, not to kill or die. Humanity’s greatness lies not in bellicosity, but in humanism, and there can be no true humanism without respect for the other. There are, in fact, those who are different from us, but who are no less dignified, no less precious and no less entitled to the right to happiness, because we are all creatures of the same creator. There can be security only in a world where all have the right to economic and social development. The true path to peace is shared development. If we do not want war to go global, justice must go global.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“On the positive side, think, just for instance, of the hundreds of billions of dollars invested to move forward with the full integration of Eastern European countries into the European Union. Then, on the other hand, think of the cost of wars and other conflicts. Everyone here is aware that the second Gulf war has probably cost hundreds of billions of dollars to date. With much less 06-52731 6 we could change the sad reality of a large portion of the world’s population. We could alleviate the plight of those people and lift them out of destitution. We could save millions of lives. However strong they are today, rich countries should have no illusions: nobody is safe in a world of injustice. War will never bring security; it can only generate horrors, bitterness, intolerance and fundamentalism and create damage associated with hegemonism.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“If we in Brazil have done so much with so little, imagine what could have been done on a global scale if the fight against hunger and poverty had been a real priority for the international community. Where there is hunger, there is no hope; there is only desolation and pain. Hunger nurtures violence and fanaticism. A world where people starve will never be safe. The sheer size of the task will not daunt us, especially if we are not alone. All here know that some 840 million human beings — nearly one out of seven on the planet — do not have enough to eat. An additional $50 billion each year are needed to reach the Millennium Development Goals on time. The international community can afford it.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“When I first addressed the Assembly from this rostrum, in 2003, I stressed the need for urgent and relentless action to fight the scourge of hunger and poverty in the world. This is what we are doing in Brazil: we have combined economic stability with social inclusion policies; the standard of living of Brazilians has improved; employment and income have grown; the purchasing power of the minimum wage has increased. Our resources are scarce, but even so we have achieved surprising results. The family stipend at the core of our zero-hunger programme assures a basic income to over 11 million Brazilian families. Well-fed people can enhance their dignity, their health and their learning capacity. Putting resources into social programmes is not expenditure; it is investment.”
2006-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 61 (2006)
“The Security Council is the only source of legitimate action in the field of international peace and security, but its composition must reflect today’s reality — not perpetuate the post- World-War-II era or the Cold War era. Reform proposals that simply dress the current structure in new clothes and do not provide for an increase in the number of permanent members are manifestly insufficient. The difficulties inherent to any reform process must not cause us to lose sight of its urgency. There will be neither security nor stability in the world until a more just and democratic order is established. The community of nations must give a clear and urgent response to this challenge. We can find such a response in the wise words of the Prophet Isaiah: the fruit of righteousness will be peace.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“That is why we shall continue to actively strive for the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol. South America contains approximately 50 per cent of the world’s biodiversity. We stand for combating bio-piracy as well as for the negotiation of an international regime for sharing the benefits derived from the use of genetic resources and traditional knowledge. I reiterate what I stated at this very rostrum last year: only an international order based on multilateralism can promote peace and the sustainable development of nations. Such an order must be based on a constructive dialogue among different cultures and world visions. No organ is better suited than the United Nations to ensure the world’s convergence around common goals.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“At the last meeting of the World Trade Organization, we took a fundamental step towards the elimination of abusive restrictions that hamper developing countries. Coordination among countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America in the Group of 20 was decisive for keeping the Doha Round on the right track of trade liberalization with social justice. If successful, the Doha Round could lift more than 500 million people out of poverty. It is essential to carry on building a new world economic and commercial geography that, while maintaining the vital ties to developed countries, allows for the establishment of solid bridges among the countries of the South, which have remained isolated from one another for too long. Brazil is committed to the success of the international climate change regime. We are developing renewable sources of energy.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“We do not believe in interfering in the domestic affairs of other countries, but neither can we condone omission and indifference in the face of situations that affect our neighbours. Brazil is committed to the establishment of a South America that is politically stable, prosperous and united, on the basis of strengthening the South 7 American Common Market (MERCOSUR) and its strategic relationship with Argentina. The possibility that a community of South American States could emerge is no longer a distant dream, thanks to decisive initiatives in the areas of structural, economic, commercial, social and cultural integration. Brazil is at work in multilateral negotiations with a view to reaching just and equitable agreements.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The promotion of equitable development is crucial to addressing the centuries-old causes of Haitian instability. In our region, despite grave social and economic problems, a culture of peace prevails. Our continent is experiencing a period of democratic coming of age, with a vibrant civil society. We have learned that development and social justice must be sought with determination and an openness to dialogue. The bouts of instability in our region have been dealt with while strictly respecting our institutions. Whenever requested, and within its means and capabilities, Brazil has made its contribution to help friendly countries overcome crises that threatened their constitutional order and stability.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“In that and other conflicts, the international community cannot allow violence — whether sponsored by States or by other actors — to prevail over democratic dialogue. The Palestinian people are still far from achieving the self- determination to which they are entitled. We know that the underlying causes of insecurity are complex. The necessary fight against terrorism cannot be conceived strictly in military terms. We must develop strategies that encompass both solidarity and firmness, but with strict respect for international law. On that basis, Brazil and other Latin American countries have responded to the call of the United Nations and are engaged in the stabilization efforts in Haiti. If we seek new paradigms in international relations, we cannot shirk our responsibility to address the concrete situations that emerge.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“As we advance in this new alliance, we shall have better means to attain the Millennium Development Goals, especially with regard to the eradication of hunger. It was in this same spirit of contributing to the reduction of poverty that Brazil, India and South Africa established, last year, the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Fund. Our first project, in Guinea-Bissau, will be launched tomorrow. HIV/AIDS and its nefarious connection to hunger and poverty is also a priority. Our international cooperation programme with other developing countries in fighting HIV/AIDS is now operating in six developing countries and will soon be extended to another three. I am fully aware of the serious security problems that pose a threat to international stability. There seems to be no prospect for improvement in the critical situation in the Middle East.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“They must adjust their focus on development, thus restoring their original objectives. The International Monetary Fund should be able to provide the guarantees and the liquidity that are necessary for productive investments — especially in infrastructure, housing and sanitation — and which can also restore poor countries’ capacity to pay. Brazilian foreign policy, in all its dimensions, is focused on joining other nations in efforts aimed at the establishment of a world of justice and peace. Yesterday, in a historic meeting, more than 60 world leaders gathered to give new impetus to international action against hunger and poverty. I firmly believe that the process launched yesterday will bring the fight against world poverty to a new level.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
““The only thing we need to fear is fear itself.” Such boldness stems not from instinct, but rather from political courage; not from irresponsible wilfulness, but rather from a daring ability to reform. What sets civilization apart from barbarism is a political architecture that promotes peaceful change and advances social and economic life by means of democratic consensus. If we fail against hunger and poverty, what else will be able to bring us together? I believe the time has come to state clearly that for us to once again grow in a fair way, an important shift in the financial flows from international multilateral organizations is necessary. Such organizations were created to provide solutions, but, by adopting excessive rigour, they themselves have sometimes become part of the problem.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Nature is not a museum of untouchable relics, but neither should it be further degraded by human and environmental exploitation in a search for wealth at any price. 6 A generation is remembered not only for what it accomplishes, but also for what it fails to accomplish. If our resources are so much greater than our achievements, how will we explain to future generations why we did so little when so much was within our reach? A neglectful civilization is condemned to wither like a body without a soul. The exhortations from the great New Deal leader Franklin Delano Roosevelt still resonate with inescapable pertinence. What is needed today is “bold, persistent experimentation”.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“It therefore requires reform of the global development model, as well as international institutions that are effectively democratic and based on multilateralism and on an acknowledgement of the rights and aspirations of all peoples. The tortured look in the eyes of the outcast should do more to stir our conscience than the no less dramatic statistics on social inequality. Their gaze calls to us for a future of hope. Just as our destinies are now intertwined, every conflict has global effects. When the sky is shown to us from between iron bars, let us not mistake the cage for freedom. We have the scientific knowledge and the scale of production necessary for resolving global economic and social challenges. Today, nature and progress can be reconciled by means of development models that are ethically and environmentally sustainable.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Those tragedies must be added to so many others in India, the Middle East and the United States, as well as to, more recently, the barbaric slaughter of children in Beslan. Mankind is losing the fight for peace. Only the enlightened values of humanism, applied with clarity of mind and determination, will be able to counter barbarism. This situation imposes a new sense of collective and individual responsibility on the peoples and the leaders of the world. If peace is our goal, it is our task to build it. If we wish to eliminate violence, we must address its deep-rooted origins with the same resolve employed against the agents of hatred. The path to lasting peace must encompass a new international political and economic order, one that extends real opportunities for economic and social development to all countries.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“In Africa, where colonialism resisted until the twilight of the twentieth century, 200 million people are caught in an existence marked by hunger, disease and neglect, to which the world has become oblivious, numbed by the routine of the distant suffering of others. Lack of basic sanitation has killed more children in the past decade than all military conflicts since the end of the Second World War. Love cannot spring from cruelty. Peace will never rise from poverty and hunger. The hatred and senselessness that are spreading throughout the world feed on despair and on the absolute lack of hope for many people. This year alone, more than 1,700 people have died as a consequence of terrorist attacks around the world — in Madrid, Baghdad and Jakarta.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“It often revokes democratic decisions, causes the sovereignty of States to shrivel and imposes itself on elected Governments. It demands that legitimate national development projects be renounced. The perverse logic of draining the needy to irrigate the affluent still stands. In recent decades, an ill-inclusive and asymmetric globalization has deepened the devastating legacy of poverty and social regression, which is now bursting into the agenda of the twenty- first century. Today, in 54 countries, per capita income is lower than what it was 10 years ago; in 34 countries, life expectancy has decreased; and in 14 countries, a greater number of children are starving to death.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“The Assembly is the highest expression of an international order based on the independence of nations. However, such a political transformation has not taken place in the economic and social fields, and history shows that that will not happen spontaneously. In 1820, the per capita income of the richest nation in the world was five times greater than that of the poorest one. Today, that disparity has reached a ratio of 80-to-1. The former subjects have become perpetual debtors in the international economic system. Protectionist barriers and other obstacles to balanced trade — aggravated by the concentration of investments, knowledge and technology — have followed colonial domination. A powerful, all- encompassing and invisible wheel runs the system from afar.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)
“Through Foreign Minister Jean Ping of Gabon, I greet the representatives of all peoples gathered here today. I fraternally salute Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who 5 has been guiding the work of the United Nations with wisdom and devotion. For the second time, I address this universal Assembly on behalf of Brazil. I have a lifelong commitment to those silenced by inequality, hunger and hopelessness. In the powerful words of Franz Fanon, the colonial past bestowed on them a common legacy: “If you so desire, take it: the freedom to starve to death”. Today, we are 191 nation-States. In the past, 125 of us were subjected to the oppression of a few Powers that originally occupied less than 2 per cent of the globe. The end of colonialism confirmed, in the political arena the right of peoples to self- determination.”
2004-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 59 (2004)