President presents initiative at expanded meeting of G20 foreign ministers in New York; proposal has no concrete effectiveness because it would need to be accepted by 2/3 of the organization
The president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said this Wednesday (September 25, 2024) that Brazil is considering presenting a proposal to convene a conference to review the UN charter, as a preliminary step towards a broader reform of the organization. The idea was presented at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, held at the institution’s headquarters in New York. Lula participated in the opening of the meeting.
In his speech, the president cited Article 109 of the UN Charter, which establishes rules for convening a general conference of member states that can be held by a vote of 2/3 of the members of the General Assembly and 9 votes of the members of the Security Council.
“Each country can have its own vision of the ideal model for global governance reform. But we must all agree that reform is essential and urgent.”said Lula.
Watch:
The idea presented by the president at a G20 meeting, however, has no concrete effectiveness. It would need to be presented to the General Assembly for a vote. If taken forward, which is unlikely at the moment, it would be the first time that the UN would open a broad review process of its premises.
Since his first term, which began in 2003, Lula has advocated reform of the UN Security Council. In his third term, he has called for greater participation by countries from the so-called Global South in the organization’s decision-making bodies, especially in the council.
“To break this vicious cycle, we need the courage to change and the commitment to overcome differences. Our ability to respond is hampered, in particular, by the lack of representation that affects international organizations. If rich countries want the support of the developing world in tackling the multiple crises of our time, the Global South needs to be fully represented in the main decision-making forums.”he said.
Lula once again said that multilateral institutions “are discredited”. “We have failed to respond to global challenges because we have exchanged multilateralism for unilateral actions or exclusionary arrangements”he said.
In the document approved this Wednesday (25th September), the G20 countries agreed to carry out a broad review of the rules of the UN, the World Trade Organization, and other multilateral institutions.
The meeting of foreign ministers within the UN was proposed by Brazil, which presides over the G20 in 2024. It was the first time that the meeting was held at the organization’s headquarters and open to all countries.
#Lula #proposing #broad #review #Charter