Lula opens BRICS Summit with call for investment in peace and security

In Rio de Janeiro, the President of Brasil opened the 17th BRICS Leaders’ Summit with an overview of the multilateralism crisis and recent conflicts, positioning BRICS as a force for the promotion of peace

At the opening of the 17th BRICS Summit this Sunday, July 7, in Rio de Janeiro, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva presented an overview of the multilateralism crisis, highlighting the emergence of multiple conflicts and their impacts on national autonomy, security, and the global economy.

During the plenary session entitled “Peace, Security, and the Reform of Global Governance,” Lula was unequivocal in urging countries to shift spending away from military efforts and toward the implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda—not toward war.

“It is easier to allocate 5% of GDP to military spending than to commit the 0.7% promised for Official Development Assistance. This shows that the resources to implement the 2030 Agenda do exist—they are simply not made available due to a lack of political will. It is always easier to invest in war than in peace,” said the Brazilian president.

Lula also underscored the role of the founding BRICS countries in building “a new multipolar reality for the 21st century.” Advocating for a reform in global governance, he emphasized the bloc’s ability to become “a force capable of promoting peace and of preventing and mediating conflicts” thanks to its diverse realities.

“We can lay the groundwork for a renewed system of governance. To overcome the crisis of trust we now face, we must fundamentally reform the Security Council by making it more legitimate, representative, effective, and democratic,” Lula argued.

Read President Lula’s full speech during the BRICS session on 'Peace and Security, Reform of Global Governance

For the fourth time, Brasil is hosting a BRICS Summit. Of all of them, this one is taking place amid the most adverse scenario.

The United Nations recently marked its 80th anniversary on June 26 of this year, and we are witnessing an unprecedented collapse of multilateralism.

The advent of the UN marked the defeat of Nazi-Fascism and the birth of a sense of collective hope.

The vast majority of countries that currently comprise the BRICS were among its founders.

Ten years later, the Bandung Conference refuted the division of the world into zones of influence and advanced the fight for a multipolar international order.

BRICS is an heir of the Non-Aligned Movement.

With multilateralism under attack, our autonomy is once again in check.

Advancements that were arduously achieved, such as the climate and trade regimes, are at risk.

Amid the worst sanitary crisis in decades, the global health system is being subjected to an unprecedented attack.

Absurd intellectual property demands still restrict access to medication.

International law has become a dead letter, as has the pacific resolution of controversies.

We are before an unprecedented number of conflicts since World War II.

NATO’s recent decision feeds the arms race.

It is easier to designate 5% of the GDP to military spending than to allocate the 0.7% that has been promised for Official Development Assistance.

This demonstrates that the resources for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda do exist; however, they are not available due to a lack of political priority.

It is always easier to invest in war than in peace.

The UN Security Council meetings often follow a script we know all too well: they end in a loss of credibility and paralysis.

Lately, the Council is not even consulted before acts of war begin.

Old rhetorical maneuvers are just being recycled to justify illegal interventions.

Just as we saw with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in the past, the instrumentalization of the International Atomic Energy Agency's work now risks the reputation of an organization that is fundamental for maintaining peace.

The fear of a nuclear catastrophe has returned to our daily lives.

To the detriment of negotiated solutions, recurring violations of state territorial integrity are undermining efforts to stop the proliferation of atomic weapons.

Without the support of International Law, the failure of the actions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria tends to repeat itself with even graver impacts.

The consequences for the stability of the Middle East and North Africa, particularly in the Sahel, have been disastrous and are felt to this day.

In the void left by unresolved crises, terrorism has found fertile ground.

Hate ideology must not be associated with any religion or nationality.

Brasil repudiated the attacks in Kashmir.

Absolutely nothing justifies the terrorist actions perpetrated by Hamas.

However, we cannot remain indifferent to the genocidal practices by Israel in Gaza, the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, and the use of starvation as a weapon of war.

The solution to this conflict will only be possible with the end of the Israeli occupation and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian State within the 1967 borders.

The Brazilian Government denounced the violations of Iran's territorial integrity, just as it had done in the case of Ukraine.

The parties engaged in the war in Ukraine must urgently deepen a direct dialogue that aims for a ceasefire and a lasting peace.

The "Friends for Peace" group, formed by China and Brasil and comprising countries from the Global South, aims to identify potential avenues for ending hostilities.

Meanwhile, other extremely serious crises around the world remain ignored by the international community.

In Haiti, we had MINUSTAH — but the international community abandoned the country too soon. Brasil supports the urgent expansion of the role of the UN Mission in that country, combining actions in the fields of security and development.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

During the eight decades of functioning of the United Nations, not everything was a failure.

The Organization played a central role in the decolonization process.

The prohibition of the use of biological and chemical weapons is an example of what the commitment to multilateralism can achieve.

The success of UN missions in East Timor demonstrates that it is possible to promote peace and stability.

Since 1968, Latin America has chosen to be a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone.

The African Union also consolidates its leadership in conflict prevention and resolution on the continent.

If international governance does not reflect the 21st century’s new multipolar reality, it is up to the BRICS to contribute to bringing it up to date.

The bloc’s representativeness and diversity make it a powerful platform, capable of promoting peace, preventing, and mediating conflicts.

We have the opportunity to lay the foundations of a reinvigorated governance model.

To overcome the trust crisis we are immersed in, we must promote deep transformations in the Security Council.

Increase its legitimacy, representativeness, effectiveness, and democratic character.

Include new permanent members from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

This is more than a question of justice.

This will ensure the very survival of the UN system.

This is the spirit of the “Call to Action on Global Governance Reform”, launched by Brasil’s G20 Presidency.

Postponing this process makes the world much more unstable and dangerous.

Each day that goes by with an archaic and excluding international structure is a day lost in the search for solutions to the grave crises that beset humanity.

Thank you very much.

Translation: Tadeu Azevedo (POET/UFC)
Proofreading: Enora Lessinger (POET/UFC)