During the opening of the 26th Meeting of the Sao Paulo Forum in Brasilia on Thursday (Jun. 29), President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed his intention to bring a unified position of the South American Amazon countries to this year's United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28). The conference is scheduled to take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from November 30 to December 12.
"We aim to establish a collective policy among the eight South American countries to arrive at COP 28 with a strong position in defense of the countries preserving their forests, such as those in South America," Lula stated. Alongside Brazil, the Amazon region encompasses Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.
Lula also mentioned the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa and Indonesia in Asia as nations that share the commitment to forest conservation.
In his address, the Brazilian president reiterated his criticism of the United Nations (UN) composition, stressing the need for updating the list of member countries. He further criticized the composition of the Security Council, which, in his view, consists of countries that perpetuate wars.
"The UN cannot remain the same size as it was in 1945. We must expand the number of UN member countries, including African, Latin American, and Asian nations. Additionally, we need to reconsider the permanent members of the Security Council because they are the ones responsible for producing weapons and waging wars, without being subject to the Security Council's decisions."
The Sao Paulo Forum, which has faced criticism from figures associated with the Brazilian right, serves as a platform for political parties and movements representing the Latin American left to discuss shared agendas. The official website of the Forum, established in Sao Paulo in 1990, states its objective as "promoting the integration of countries, protecting nature, people, and sovereignty, and fighting against neoliberalism in the region."
Source: Agencia Brasil
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