Bolsonaro Speaks at The UN with Attacks on Lula and in A Campaign Tone

Pressured internally, and less than two weeks before the election, President Jair
Bolsonaro (PL) used the prime space of the first speech of a head of government at
the UN General Assembly this Tuesday (20) to address potential voters - with a
greater focus on the domestic audience than on the world leaders who followed the
speech. As in a campaign speech, the president attacked the left and his main
opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), without mentioning him by name, and
listed cases of corruption at Petrobras during PT governments. Bolsonaro said that
his management "eradicated the systemic corruption that existed in the country",
despite investigations involving himself and his family, ministers, and former
aides. Unlike what he did in previous editions, the president adopted a more
moderate tone and accepted suggestions from Itamaraty to avoid direct attacks on
other countries, as he had been doing with Chile and Argentina. The exception was
the criticism, also without naming names, of the regimes of Daniel Ortega in
Nicaragua and Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela — left-wing dictatorships which some
sectors of the Workers Party are close with. The president mentioned welcoming
refugees fleeing the regime in Caracas and said that "Brazil opens its doors to
welcome Catholic priests and nuns who have suffered cruel persecution from the
dictatorial regime in Nicaragua." Translated by Cassy Dias Read the article in the
original language

UN Assembly: Bolsonaro says Brazil economy nears “full recovery”

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said today (Sep 22) that, despite the global
crisis, Brazil is reaching the end of 2022 with an “economy in full recovery.”
Opening the session of the 77th United Nations (UN) General Assembly, Bolsonaro
underscored favorable numbers on the country’s economy—such as sinking inflation
and unemployment, poverty reduction, and the implementation of reforms aimed at
attracting investment. “In 2021, Brazil was the world’s fourth largest destination
of direct investment from overseas. Our foreign trade has reached the historic mark
of 39 percent of the GDP, even after slashing taxes on thousands of products or
bringing them down to zero. Domestically, we are also breaking records in three
arenas: tax collection, profits from state-owned companies, and the public debt–to–
GDP ratio,” he pointed out. In his speech, Bolsonaro talked about efforts to
improve the business environment, such as Brazil’s Law of Economic Freedom Law and
the Law of Startups. In view of the “effort to modernize the Brazilian economy,” he
went on to argue, the nation is moving towards its admission as a full member of
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Sustainable
development While discussing the environment, President Bolsonaro mentioned the
energy transition in Brazil and the growing investment in clean energy production.
“Brazil started its energy transition nearly half a century ago, in reaction to the
oil crisis back then. Today, our biofuel industry is modern and sustainable—an
industry that contributes to [turning Brazil into] the cleanest energy matrix among
the G20 countries,” he declared. The country, he added, has the capacity to be a
major world exporter of clean energy. “We are already building a surplus that could
surpass 100 gigawatts—including biomass, and onshore wind as well as solar energy—
in addition to the potential, still untapped, of 700 gigawatts of offshore wind
with one of the globe’s lowest production costs. These sources should produce green
hydrogen for export. Part of this 100% clean energy makes it possible for us to to
become suppliers of highly competitive industrial products, especially in Northeast
Brazil, with one of the smallest carbon footprints in the world,” he highlighted.
International conflicts In Bolsonaro’s view, the solution to the conflict in
Ukraine will be achieved through negotiation and dialogue. “In the United Nations
as well as other forums, we have been attempting to avoid the blocking of dialogue
channels caused by polarization around the conflict. In this connection, we oppose
diplomatic and economic isolation,” he said, stressing his concern about the
consequences of the conflict—such as the rise in prices for food, fuel, and other
supplies worldwide. “We support all efforts to reduce the economic impact of this
crisis. But we do not believe the best way forward is adopting unilateral and
selective sanctions that contravene international law. Such measures have
undermined economic recovery and affected the human rights of vulnerable groups,
including in countries in Europe itself,” he stated. The Brazilian leader also
advocated a reform in the UN, specifically the Security Council. “After 25 years of
debates, it is clear that we need to seek innovative solutions,” he argued. In the
2022–2023 biennium, Brazil is occupying a non-permanent seat in the entity.
Bolsonaro arrived in New York last night (19) for the yearly gathering at the UN
headquarters. The high-level sessions should last until next Monday (26).
Traditionally, it is up to the Brazilian head of state to deliver the opening
address at the UN General Assembly. The theme of this year’s general debate and the
77th session of the assembly is “A watershed moment: Transformative solutions to
interlocking challenges.” Prior to his participation, Bolsonaro met with UN
Secretary-General António Guterres and Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso. Also
on this afternoon’s agenda is a videoconference with investors from the supermarket
sector. President Bolsonaro is expected to leave New York for Brasília late this
afternoon.

Addressing UN, Brazil's Bolsonaro calls for negotiations to end war in Ukraine

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro addresses the 77th session of the General Assembly
at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022. (Mary Altaffer/AP) RIO DE
JANEIRO — Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday repeated his willingness to
foster negotiations to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, calling for
a cease-fire but renouncing sanctions and economic isolation. "We have tried to
avoid blocking the channels of dialogue caused by the polarization around the
conflict," Bolsonaro said, during a speech at the U.N. General Assembly. "The
consequences of the conflict are already being felt in world prices for food, fuel
and other supplies. This impact puts us all against the goals of sustainable
development." The Brazil president noted how some countries that were once leaders
in low carbon emissions had now turned to more polluting sources of energy.
Bolsonaro was the first world leader to speak during debate on the first day of the
meeting. U.S. President Joe Biden would traditionally speak second, but his time
was pushed to Wednesday because of the funeral of England's queen. The far-right
leader, who is seeking reelection next month, also used his speech to promote the
merits of his administration. His speech focused heavily on the economy, starting
with the generous welfare program distributed to millions of Brazilians during the
pandemic, and which was recently renewed until December. "In spite of the global
crisis, Brazil reached the end of 2022 with an economy in full recovery," Bolsonaro
said, stressing a falling unemployment rate and disinflation in Latin America's
largest nation. Critics of his government rebuked his claims that poverty is
falling, or that the majority of Brazil's Amazon rainforest remains pristine.
Recent studies show that food insecurity has been on the rise, now surpassing the
world average, according to the Getulio Vargas Foundation, a university and think
tank. And deforestation has surged to the worst in 15 years. That led to more fires
in August than in any month in nearly five years, according to Brazil's national
space institute. Bolsonaro also took a dig at his main rival, former President Luiz
Inácio Lula da Silva, who leads all polls to return to the presidency he held
between 2003 and 2010. Bolsanaro pointed to da Silva's convictions for money
laundering and corruption, without saying that they were later annulled by the
Supreme Court.