Lula: ‘Hunger in the world is not a lack of money, it is a lack of shame’

President Lula (PT) participated, this Monday (23), in the annual Goalkeepers initiative awards, organized by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The award, created in 2017, aims to contribute to actions that help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the global plan made up of 17 goals, established during the 2015 UN General Assembly. During the ceremony, Lula will be honored for its contribution to achieving SDG 1 (eradication of poverty) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).x

When opening his speech, Lula explained the role of Bolsa Família in combating poverty, but considered that the income transfer program is not enough. He said that there must be policies to increase the minimum wage, to stimulate growth with the objective of creating jobs and income, to avoid the concentration of income and promote sustainable development.

Lula amended his introduction to criticize the functioning of international organizations, such as the United Nations itself, whose General Assembly will be opened by his speech this Tuesday morning. He said that if the UN “worked”, it would have helped in the construction of the creation of a Palestinian State just as it contributed to the creation of the State of Israel. And that would not have allowed the wars taking place today, such as those between Ukraine and Russia and in the Middle East, with the genocide in the Gaza Strip. “The world cannot continue with five countries being members of the UN Security Council”, criticizing the absence of the Global South in decisions.

The Brazilian president also stated that he is experiencing the “best moment of his life” for facing the global financial system internationally, which allows the existence of five billionaires who have more money than ten countries in the world. “The richest in the world are looking for space to live (off the planet), and there is none. We will have to take care of the Earth”, he warned. “I’m not against people being rich. I’m against people being poor.”

Future Summit

In his speech at the opening of the Future Summit, a parallel event to the General Debate of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), on Sunday (22/9), the president pointed out that the SDGs “were the greatest diplomatic undertaking of the last years and are on their way to becoming our biggest collective failure.” He signaled that, if the current pace of implementation is maintained, only 17% of the 2030 Agenda goals will be achieved within the deadline.

Among the objectives are the eradication of poverty and the end of hunger. On both topics, Lula highlighted, still at the Future Summit, that, as president of the G20 — a group of countries with the largest economies in the world — 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 18th and 19th this year, in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil’s agenda around the UN General Assembly

On an official visit to New York until Wednesday (25/9), the president participated in bilateral meetings with the leaders of Germany, Haiti and the European Union earlier, this Monday. At a lunch organized by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Lula and the German head of state spoke about the COP 29 meetings, which will be held in November this year in Baku, Azerbaijan, and COP 30, in 2025, in Belém. Scholz confirmed presence at the G20 Leaders Summit, which is scheduled for November 18th and 19th, 2024, in Rio de Janeiro.

They also talked about the continuation of the High-Level Intergovernmental Consultations between Germany and Brazil, which last took place in Berlin, in December 2023, and should have a new stage in Brazil, in 2025. The working lunch was also attended by the president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, and the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.

The Brazilian head of state then had a bilateral meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission. “We talked about the importance of finalizing the Mercosur Agreement with the European Union for both blocs”, informed Lula on his social networks.

Lula also met with the Prime Minister of Haiti, Garry Conille. The new Haitian Prime Minister presented his proposals for resuming social projects and stabilizing the country. “We have to take responsibility for Haiti. Not Brazil, the world. It’s not possible,” said Lula, at the end of the meeting.

“The situation is deteriorating, and international solidarity is zero,” said the Brazilian leader, according to UOL columnist Jamil Chade. “Generously, Lula committed to mobilizing other countries to support the situation in Haiti,” said Conille. “We count on Brazil’s cooperation in the future”, he said, as Chade reported.

With information from Planalto