Brazilian President Lula da Silva Calls for Reform of Powerful UNSC to Reflect Contemporary Realities

GG News Bureau

New Delhi, 12th Sept. A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed his pitch for the UN Security Council to be expanded, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva echoed similar views and urged for reform of the powerful UN body to reflect contemporary realities on Monday.

The president of Brazil, the next G20 chair, stated that his country wants equality to be a “core issue” during its presidency.

“It is a lot of responsibility for Brazil to host the G20. We want the equality issue to be the core issue for the next G20. There is a lot of inequality and the world needs more balance in terms of the wealth distribution,” Lula said at a press conference.

“I want to congratulate India on a well-organised G20 Summit… Brazil is capable of hosting an event of this size. Like here in India, we would use a number of cities for the events and make it a people’s G20, a more democratic G20,” he said in Portuguese which was translated to English.

Lula stated he does not know why Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend the G20 Summit in Brazil, but they would be invited and he hopes they will attend.

He advocated for global financial institutions such as the World Bank to be more representative of developing countries.

The Brazilian president also called for reform and the expansion of the UN Security Council’s permanent membership to reflect the geographical realities of 2024.

Later, in a post on X, Lula praised the Delhi Declaration, which was adopted on Saturday, for establishing unanimity on the Ukraine issue.

He said the Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) was a watershed moment at the G20 summit.

“Brazil is a pioneer in this segment. It is very important for our future. The world is seeing the importance of biofuels to replace polluting fuels that deepen the climate crisis,” he said.

“We have scientific and technological knowledge to end hunger in humanity. That’s why I’m obsessed with creating more jobs, so that people can consume, eat and have a dignified life.

“This way we will have less crime, violence and people living on the streets of cities. We need to convince rich countries to be outraged by poverty and inequalities,” he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed his call for the UN Security Council to be expanded and global institutions to be reformed to reflect the world’s “new realities” as the G20 summit concluded in New Delhi, with world leaders praising India’s presidency for delivering numerous meaningful accomplishments.

PM Modi also handed over the G20 presidential gavel to Brazil’s president at the summit’s conclusion, expressing confidence that India’s successor will advance global unity and prosperity.

Brazil will officially take over the G20 leadership on December 1, and the next summit will be held in November 2024 in the popular seaside resort city of Rio de Janeiro.

On Sunday evening, Lula met with Modi in a bilateral discussion, during which the two leaders discussed ways to increase trade and cooperation in agriculture and technology.

According to a joint statement issued after the meeting, both leaders welcomed the consecutive G20 presidency of developing countries, which increases the Global South’s influence in global governance.

They welcomed the development of a G20 troika made up of the three IBSA countries — India, Brazil, and South Africa — during Brazil’s presidency.