Nothing justifies punishing Palestinian people, says UN leader // Lula questions a system in which the poorest finance the richest
▲ Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the UN (far left), described endless nightmare the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, at the start of the UN General Assembly in New York. Presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (center), and of the United States, Joe Biden, during their speeches.Photo Getty images Afp and Ap
David Brooks and Jim Cason
Correspondents
The newspaper La Jornada
Wednesday, September 25, 2024, p. 25
New York and Washington. The world is on the brink of disaster, but no one is taking responsibility for it, seemed to be the conclusion of the first day of the general debate of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Perhaps for this reason, Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned what he called impunity global, opening the initial session of the general debate, together with inequality and the uncertaintya trio that is leading civilization to the brink of disaster, and that path is unsustainable. We are approaching the unimaginable; a powder keg that is engulfing the entire worldGuterres warned, noting that wars, climate change and inequality are worse than ever. He also invited participants: the challenges we face can be solved.
He highlighted the impunity where Violations and abuses threaten the very foundation of international law and the United Nations Charter.. He added that The level of impunity in the world is politically indefensible and morally intolerable.with governments that believe they can violate international conventions and the UN Charter, invade another country or destroy entire societies without consequences. He pointed to the cases of Ukraine and Gaza, which he called A never-ending nightmare that threatens to take over an entire region; condemned Hamas’s acts of terror, but said that Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian peoplewhich has also included the deaths of more than 200 UN employees. Guterres detailed the injustices of economic inequality, as well as climate change, insisting that the only solution is multilateral and urgent. And that there is not much time. (https://gadebate.un.org/sites/default/files/gastatements/79/unsg_en.pdf).
The annual parade of leaders and senior representatives from the 193 member countries began, as is tradition, with the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, one of the most powerful voices from the global south, raising the alarm about the current path of the planet.
Lula spoke of his country’s efforts to push for an agreement to stop the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and warned that these conflicts demonstrate a failure of the international community. He also deplored an international economic system that is has become a reverse Marshall Plan, in which the poorest finance the richestThe richest, he said, have doubled their fortunes and pay less taxes than the poor; proportionally, 60 percent of humanity is now poorer, which is why Brazil is promoting a proposal to establish minimum global tax standards.
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, accused, with a lyrical speech, that in that UN forum Those who have the power to destroy life do not listen to usto those who do not have weapons of mass destruction or big money, Even if we represent the vast majority.
Petro: life or greed?
He warned that The Amazon rainforest is burning and that implies the end of the world. He accused that When Gaza dies, all humanity diessince Palestinian children They are God’s chosen people. What he called the world oligarchy of climate change, of wars, of economic punishments against disobedient countries like Cuba, and concluded that the question now for the world is life or greed? He indicated that the time has come to put an end to the global oligarchy and replace it with a democracy of the people. That it is no longer necessary to listen to Biden, Xi, Putin and the Europeans, but to the people.
South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa opened his speech by condemning Israel’s war in Gaza and stressing that his country brought a genocide case to the International Court of Justice against Tel Aviv to comply with its obligations under international law, which cannot be applied selectively.
In his last formal address to the world community, President Joe Biden illustrated the incongruity that defines this global situation, presenting himself as a leader of peace and cooperation, while justifying his government’s complicity in the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Things can indeed improvehe said, offering as a historical example that the United States and Vietnam are now partners, and insisting that despite the great challenges, optimism must be maintained.
Putin’s war has failed and “we cannot give up on Ukraine winning this war…we will not stop supporting Ukraine,” he said, ignoring the consensus of experts that this conflict is not winnable. He mentioned Latin America only once, using the case of Venezuela to illustrate how his country has to be a champion of democracy.
He spoke about how China should be confronted in the Pacific, assuring that the blocs are not against any country, when it is obvious that they are against Beijing.
Regarding Gaza, he again condemned the Hamas terrorist act of October 7, acknowledged that Innocents are also facing hell in Gaza and called on the parties to accept an agreement and put an end to this warHe said they have sought to prevent its spread and blamed Hezbollah for the most recent attacks. We are working tirelessly to stop that conflict. Biden has been repeating that phrase for almost a year, while his administration continues to deliver bombs and other munitions to Israel for what a majority of the General Assembly considers a possible genocide, something that much of his audience has criticized today.
The general debate will continue throughout this week and until September 30. Several of those involved in conflicts that defy the UN mandate to promote peace are on the list. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to speak on Thursday, shortly after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas takes the stage. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has his turn on Wednesday, but he also had an appointment at a Security Council meeting yesterday.
Many referred to the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), and how that will change almost everything and therefore requires management responsible of the international community of this new tool. But if the past guides the handling of these political leaders of the current world, it is worth questioning whether there is the collective natural intelligence to achieve this and the other grandiose objectives mentioned here.
