Lula travels to the US and opens the UN General Assembly.
President begins trip after Trump's tariff hike and will have meetings on climate, Gaza and democracy.
Paula Laboissière - Reporter for Agência Brasil
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva departs this Sunday (21), at 10 am, for the United States (USA) to participate in the 80th General Assembly of the United Nations. The assembly takes place between September 22 and 24 in New York. Lula will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, and other ministers and experts who are part of the delegation.
As has been the tradition since 1955, Brazil will be the first member state to speak at the opening of the general debate. Lula will speak on Tuesday morning (23), right after the speeches by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, and the President of the 80th General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock.
In addition to outlining Brazilian foreign policy priorities, the president is expected to participate in meetings discussing topics ranging from the situation in Palestine to the climate crisis, in preparation for the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP30), which will take place in Bethlehem in November.
Palestine
During the trip to New York, Lula will participate, on Monday (22), in the second session of the High-Level International Confederation for the Peaceful Resolution of the Palestinian Question and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, convened by France and Saudi Arabia.
According to Itamaraty (Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the Brazilian government hopes that this moment will serve as an opportunity for more countries to recognize the... Palestine as a State Besides Brazil, 147 other nations already recognize Palestine. Countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Portugal expressed interest in doing the same during the UN meeting.
Democracia
On Wednesday (24), the president will participate in the second edition of the event In Defense of Democracy and Against Extremism, accompanied by representatives from around 30 countries. In addition to Brazil, the initiative is led by the presidents of Chile, Gabriel Boric, and Spain, Pedro Sánchez.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the initiative aims to advance active diplomacy, promoting international cooperation against institutional degradation, disinformation, hate speech, and social inequality. The first meeting on democracy took place in Chile in July, when a joint declaration was published.
climate crisis
Also on the 24th, an event on the climate crisis – another priority on Lula's agenda in New York – will be co-chaired by Brazil and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The meeting should include the presentation of new nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
The president is also participating in an event in New York organized by Brazil to increase support for the creation of the Tropical Forests Forever Fund, to be launched in Belém with the goal of financing forest preservation. Another item on the agenda is a meeting promoted by the Global Adaptation Centre to discuss mechanisms for adapting to climate change.
The Brazilian delegation is also expected to participate, starting on September 22, in New York Climate Week 2025. The meeting, which hosts around 500 events with leaders from governments and civil society around the world, has been held concurrently with the UN General Assembly since 2009 and serves as a preparatory event for COP30.
