Lula wants joint position of Amazonian countries at COP 28

POLICY

President defended union of nations that encourage the preservation of forests

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said, this Thursday (29), that he intends to take to this year’s edition of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 28) a joint position of countries that make up the South American Amazon to respect for environmental issues. COP 28 will take place in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, between November 30th and December 12th.

“We want to build a unitary policy with the eight countries of South America so that we can arrive at COP 28 with the correct position in defense of countries that keep forests standing, as in South America”. In addition to Brazil, the Amazon is in Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.

Lula also cited the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, in Africa; and Indonesia, in Asia; as nations that are part of a position “of countries that keep forests standing”.

UN
Lula spoke at the opening of the 26th Meeting of the Forum of São Paulo, held in Brasília. During the speech, the Brazilian president reiterated his criticisms of the composition of the United Nations (UN). For him, the list of member countries needs to be updated. In addition, he again criticized the composition of the Security Council of the entity which, according to him, is made up precisely by the countries that promote wars.

“The UN cannot continue with the same size it had in 1945. It is necessary to increase the number of UN members, with Africa, with Latin America, with Asian countries. And it is necessary to change the permanent members of the Security Council. Because they are the ones who produce weapons, who make war. And without going through the decision of the Security Council”.

forum of São Paulo
Target of criticism from names linked to the Brazilian right, the Foro de São Paulo brings together parties and political movements of the Latin American left to debate the convergent agendas. On its official website, the Foro de São Paulo, created in 1990 in the capital of São Paulo, states that its objective is “to build the integration of countries, protect nature, peoples and sovereignty, in addition to fighting against neoliberalism in the region”.

For federal deputy Gleisi Hoffmann (PT-PR), holding the meeting is important to combat what she called a “smear campaign” against progressive Latin American articulation. She gave a speech at the opening of the meeting and stated that “companions in good faith” did not agree with holding the meeting in Brazil, with Lula in attendance.

“Their fears were associated with the campaign of lies and defamation that the Forum of São Paulo has been the target of since its creation. But holding this meeting is precisely the opportunity to refute the lies and advance, with courage, in the debate of ideas between our parties and with society”.

Rebutting the accusations of association of the Foro de São Paulo with dictatorial regimes, but without citing them directly, Lula recalled an episode in which Hugo Chávez, still a lieutenant colonel in the Venezuelan Army, was prevented from participating in the second meeting of the entity. At the time, in the early 1990s, Chávez had tried to carry out a coup d’état in his country.

“[Chávez] had tried to strike. He arrived in El Salvador [para o segundo encontro do foro] and we didn’t let him participate. [Dissemos para ele:] ‘you are not democratic, you tried to stage a coup, you will not participate’. The entire São Paulo Forum was aware of this. Then, the story you know”.

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