South America · updated 39m ago · 2 min read
Lula Opens 81st UN General Assembly, Warns Brazil Doesn’t Fit Anyone’s Backyard
Lula warned against foreign interference in Brazil’s October election and defending the popular will. He rejected external involvement in fighting organized crime and defended Brazilian sovereignty.
Whether the UN critique or the election interference leads.
8 of 12 outlets skipped it: lula says Brazil’s electoral system is modern and robust.
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Al Jazeera
““The UN was failing to prevent war and that its credibility had “never been so low”.”Read the original ↗
Reuters
“warn against foreign interference in Brazil's October election and reject any outside role in combating organized crime,”Read the original ↗
Al Jazeera spotlights Lula’s critique of the UN and sovereignty. Reuters and AP frame it mainly as election interference.
Lula opens UN debate
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva opened the high-level debate of the 81st UN General Assembly on Tuesday, positioning himself as a defender of sovereignty while warning that “Brazil does not fit in anyone’s backyard.” Lula told the General Assembly that “This is the 10th time I have opened the general debate of this Assembly since I first took up to this podium in 2003,” and he said the moment was “undoubtedly the most critical moment for the United Nations.” Lula used the podium to criticize the UN’s alleged paralysis, saying “We are all held hostage by the inaction of the Security Council failing to fulfil its role,” and he called for a return to multilateralism.
Lula also denounced what he called the “genocide of women and children perpetrated by Netanyahu’s government in Gaza,” while condemning Hamas’s attacks against Israeli civilians. The UN General Assembly debate was framed as beginning in New York City on 22 to 28 September this year, with Brazil traditionally speaking first at the start of the General Debate.
Election interference warning
Lula warned that Brazil would not allow domestic or foreign actors to undermine the October 4 vote, saying “Brazilian democracy belongs to Brazilians. Brazil will remain a sovereign country.”
Lula told the General Assembly that “We will not allow the enemies of democracy, whether domestic or foreign, to undermine the will of the people,” and he described the election as a choice between “democracy and denialism.”
Lula said Brazil was once again witnessing “external interference in electoral processes,” and he argued that ideological differences should not hinder greater integration among neighbors.
Lula linked the warning to tensions with the administration of US President Donald Trump, and he said Washington imposed “two new rounds of tariffs on Brazilian goods in July.”
Lula also rejected outsourcing border defense and confronting organized crime, saying “We do not need aircraft carriers watching our waters,” and he called for cooperation to stop the flow of weapons and money that fuels crime.
UN credibility and stakes
Lula argued that the UN was failing to prevent war, and he said its credibility had “never been so low.” Lula blamed much of the paralysis on the UN Security Council and its veto-wielding powers, calling for its leaders to meet as the number of armed conflicts rises globally. Lula also warned that “the rest of the world hostage” dynamic persisted, and he said the Security Council’s inaction left the international community unable to respond to conflicts.
Lula’s speech tied the stakes to global conflicts and the rise of armed confrontations, including his claim that in 2025 alone the world “will see the highest number of armed conflicts since World War II.” Lula’s message also carried domestic consequences as the October 4 election approached, with AP describing that the rising violence and critiques of Lula’s administration could impact his stronghold state where he won 72% of votes in the 2022 runoff against then incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.