Speech by the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, at the opening of the general debate of the 59th UN General Assembly — New York, 21 September 2004.

Through the Foreign Minister of Gabon, Jean Ping, I greet the representatives of all peoples gathered here today.

I fraternally salute Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who has been guiding the work of the United Nations with wisdom and devotion.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is the second time I have addressed this assembly on behalf of Brazil.

I have a life-long commitment to those silenced by inequality, hunger and hopelessness.

To them, in the powerful words of Franz Fanon, the colonial past has bestowed a common legacy:

"If you so desire, take it: the freedom to starve".

Today, we are 191 nation states.

In the past, 125 of us were subjected to the oppression of a few powers, which originally occupied less than 2% of the globe.

The end of colonialism confirmed, in the political arena, the right of peoples to self-determination.

This Assembly is the highest expression of an international order based on the independence of nations.

Political transformation, however, has not been transposed to the economic and social fields. And history shows this 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, it is 80 times greater.

Former subjects have become perpetual debtors in the international economic system.

In the wake of colonial domination there have arisen protectionist barriers and other obstacles to balanced trade, aggravated by the concentration of investment, knowledge and technology.

An powerful, invisible cogwheel runs the system from afar. It often revokes democratic decisions, shrivels the sovereignty of States, 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 privileged remains in place.

In recent decades an assymmetrical process of globalization has deepened the devastating legacy of poverty and social regression, which now explodes onto our 21st-century agenda.

Today, in 54 countries the per capita income is lower than what it was ten years ago.

In 34 countries, life expectancy has decreased.

In 14, a greater number of children starve to death.

In Africa, where colonialism held out until the twilight of the twentieth century, 200 million people are trapped in an existence marked by hunger, disease and neglect to which the world has become oblivious, numbed by the routine nature 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 spread throughout the world feed on despair, on the absolute lack of hope for many peoples.

This year alone, more than 1,700 people have died as a consequence of terrorist attacks around the world; in Madrid, Baghdad, Jakarta ...

To those tragedies must be added so many others: in India, in the Middle East, in the United States, and 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 with determination, will be able to counter barbarism.

The situation demands that peoples and their leaders show a new sense of collective and individual responsibility.

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 political end economic international order; one that extends to all countries real opportunities for economic and social development.

It therefore requires a reform of the global development model, as well as international institutions that are democratic, based on multilateralism and on the acknowledgment of the rights and aspirations of all peoples.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

More than mere statistics on social inequality, what should stir our conscience is the tortured look in the eyes of the excluded.

Their eyes call on us to create a future of hope.

Today, just as there is no longer anywhere that is truly isolated, there is no such thing as a conflict without a global dimension.

In looking at the sky through iron bars, let us not mistake captivity for freedom.

We have the scientific knowledge and the productive capacity necessary for meeting the global economic and social challenges.

Today, nature and progress can be reconciled by means of development models that are ethically and environmentally sustainable.

Nature is not a museum of untouchable relics; but neither should it be further degraded by human and environmental exploitation in search of wealth at any price.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen

A generation is remembered not only for what it accomplished, but also for what it failed to accomplish.

We have resources way beyond our needs, so how will we be able to explain to the generations to come 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".

"The only thing we need to fear is fear itself".

Such boldness does not stem from instinct, but rather from political courage. Not from irresponsible willfulness, but rather from daring ability to reform.

What sets civilization apart from barbarism is the political architecture that promotes peaceful change and advances social and economic life by means of democratic consensus.

If we are unable to unite in order to cobat hunger and poverty successfully, what else could bring us together?

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

I believe the time has come to clearly state that in order to achieve a return to the path of just and sustainable development, there needs to be an important shift in the financial flows from international multilateral organisms.

These organisms were created to find solutions, but sometimes, through excessive rigidity, they themselves are part of the problem.

They need to focus again on development, thus restoring their original objective.

The International Monetary Fund should be able to provide the necessary conditions for productive investment – especially in infrastructure, housing and sanitation – which will also restore poor countries' capacity to pay.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Brazilian foreign policy, in all its dimensions, seeks to join other nations in efforts aimed at building a world of justice and peace.

Yesterday, in a historic meeting, more that 60 world leaders gathered to give new impetus to international action against hunger and poverty.

I firmly believe that the process launched yesterday will intensify the struggle against world poverty. 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 IBSA Fund for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation. Our first project will be implemented in Guinea Bissau.

HIV/AIDS, and its nefarious connection to hunger and poverty, is also a priority. Our International Co-operation Programme with other developing countries in combatting HIV/AIDS is now operational in six countries, and will soon be extended to another three.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am fully aware of the serious security problems posing a threat to international stability.

There seems to be no prospect of improvement in the situation in the Middle East.

In this and in other conflicts, the international community cannot allow violence – whether sponsored by States or other actors – to prevail over democratic dialogue.

The Palestinian people are still far from achieving the self-determination to which they are entitled.

The profound causes of our 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, while strictly respecting international law.

On this basis, Brazil and other Latin-American countries have responded to the call of the United Nations and engaged in the stabilisation efforts in Haiti. If we seek new paradigms in international relations, we cannot shirk from addressing concrete challenges that emerge.

The promotion of equitable development is crucial in addressing the centuries-old causes of Haitian instability.

In spite of its grave social and economic problems, a culture of peace prevails in our region. In terms of democracy our continent is coming of age, and has a vibrant civil society.

We have learned that development and social justice must be sought with determination and openness to dialogue.

Whenever requested, and within its means and capabilities, Brazil has contributed towards helping friendly countries overcome crises that have threatened their constitutional order and stability.

We do not stand for interference in domestic affairs, 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 politically stable, prosperous and united South America, based on the strengthening of MERCOSUL and on our strategic relationship with Argentina.

Thanks to decisive initiatives with regard to structural, economic, commercial, social and cultural integration, a Community of South American States is no longer a distant dream.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Brazil is involved in multilateral trade negotiations with a view to reaching just and equitable agreements. At the last meeting of the World Trade Organization, we took a fundamental step towards the elimination of restrictions that hamper developing countries.

Co-ordination among countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America in the G-20 was decisive in keeping the Doha Round on track to achieve trade liberalisation with social justice. If Doha is successful it could take more than 500 million people out of poverty.

It is essential to continue building a new world economic and commercial geography which, while maintaining the vital ties with 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.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Brazil is committed to the success of the International Climate Change Régime. We are developing renewable sources of energy. That is why we shall continue to actively support the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol.

South America contains around 50% of world biodiversity. We stand for combatting biopiracy as well as for the negotiation of an international régime for sharing the benefits deriving from the utilisation of genetic resources and traditional knowledge.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I reiterate what I said last year at this very rostrum: only an international order based on multilateralism can promote peace and the sustainable development of nations.

It must be based on a constructive dialogue among different cultures and outlooks.

No organ is better suited than the UN to ensuring the world's convergence towards common goals.

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-Second World 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 make us lose sight of its urgency.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

There will be neither security nor stability in the world until a more just and democratic order is established.

The community of nations must produce 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".

Thank you.