Brazil
President Jair Bolsonaro opened the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) 76th session in New York.
He attended the event as the only unvaccinated G20 leader, despite COVID-19 having killed over 600,000 Brazilians. He has previously said that he will be the last citizen to be vaccinated and argued that there is no need for him to do so, given that he has previously contracted the virus and now has sufficient antibodies to protect him. The Brazilian leader has questioned the efficacy of the vaccines and also publicly endorsed unproven and often dangerous ‘treatments’ like hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin. Furthermore, he has dismissed three health ministers during this pandemic, alongside playing down the seriousness of the virus, flouting social distancing and masking requirements, and leading anti-lockdown protests outside the presidential palace.
Bolsonaro has also drawn criticism for interference in the judicial system, corruption, accelerating the deforestation of the Amazon, eroding the rights and freedoms of Indigenous communities, and threatening to refuse to step down if he loses the 2022 election.
Against this backdrop, it was no surprise that Bolsonaro began his UNGA speech by seeking to “showcase a different Brazil” than what is “portrayed in newspapers or seen on television.” He claimed that there has been no corruption since he took office in 2019 and that Brazil now has a president who “believes in god, respects the constitution, values family principles, and is loyal to her people.”
To this end, he argued that his leadership has brought the country back from the brink of socialism and has in fact facilitated the profitability of several companies, allowing Brazil to finance public works in communist countries. He then hailed the progress made in Brazil’s investment programmes, which have led to huge growth in infrastructural development, particularly with regards to railways, airports, and ports and brought the country “closer to the US model.”
Keeping this in mind, Bolsonaro posited that his ‘revitalisation’ of the railway system has in fact reduced fossil fuel consumption. He then added that Brazil’s “modern, sustainable, low-carbon” agriculture industry feeds over one billion people worldwide despite operating in just 8% of the country’s territory. Subsequently, he declared that Brazil’s environmental and forest laws set a model for “others to follow.” The president then announced that Brazil’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality or net-zero emissions by 2060 was now being brought forward to 2050, which he said will be helped by stopping illegal deforestation.
The Brazilian leader also spoke out against racism and intolerance, and said freedom of worship and expression must be respected. He asserted that 14% of Brazil’s territory is made up of Indigenous reserves, with 600,000 people who live “in freedom,” and claimed that it is these people that wish to use their land for agriculture.
Bolsonaro then proclaimed that Brazil would continue supporting UN peacekeeping missions as it always has and said that he would welcome refugees, like from neighbouring Venezuela, who are fleeing “dictatorship regimes.” Furthermore, Bolsonaro expressed “deep concern” about the future of Afghanistan and said Brazil would grant humanitarian visas to Afghan Christians, women, children, and judges.
He then looked forward to 2022, when Brazil will take up a seat at the UN Security Council (UNSC), and called for reform of the Council and for Brazil to be offered a permanent seat.
As expected, Bolsonaro also doubled down on his stance on the pandemic, saying that public health cannot be protected at the cost of the economy, arguing that lockdown measures have led to inflation. Subsequently, he said that 260 million doses of the vaccine have been administered so far, with more than 140 million citizens having received at least one shot. He said, however, that while his administration supports vaccines, it does not back measures for vaccine passports or “any other vaccine-related obligations.”
Colombia
President Iván Duque hailed the UNGA as a “vital” space for multilateralism and building peace and finding common ground. He lamented the detrimental impact of the current pandemic but said that it has also opened new doors to how the virtual world can be harnessed to generate new opportunities. That being said, he said that pandemic has also laid bare the weaknesses of multilateralism, as evidenced by vaccine inequity, with some countries struggling to provide first shots to their citizens while others contemplate administering third doses. Moreover, he noted that the pandemic must not be used as a reason to forget about other parallel crises like climate change, recessions, migration, and dictatorships and other oppressive regimes around the globe.
Duque said that his administration has focused on three goals throughout the pandemic: public health, the protection of vulnerable communities (through stimulus checks), and economic security (through wage subsidies for employers). To this end, he said it is vital to reach a goal of vaccinating 70% of citizens. Furthermore, Colombia has also joined the World Health Organization (WHO)-led COVAX initiative to push for vaccine equity, with Duque stressing that this is a “moral right,” particularly in light of new and deadly variants.
Next, the Colombian leader said that while his country accounts for just 0.6% of CO2 emissions worldwide, it remains one of the most affected by climate change. Looking ahead to the COP26 summit in Glasgow in November, he said that Colombia would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% and deforestation to 0% by 2030, and reach carbon neutrality in 2050 to achieve a green and circular economy. In addition, he called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to cooperate with developing countries to incentivise climate action by considering such structural investments as separate from their average fiscal deficit.
Duque then moved on to the topic of refugees and humanitarian aid, pointing to the fact that Colombia has offered ten-year residence permits to 1.7 million Venezuelan migrants. Subsequently, he spoke out against the Maduro regime in Venezuela for undermining democracy, calling it a ‘narco-dictatorship’ that must be brought down for the well-being of Venezuelan citizens.
Domestically, the president said that Colombia continues to fight against groups like FARC and the National Liberation Army, which seek to destabilise the country through criminal activities and violence. He also spoke out against drug trade, saying that cocaine production fields are destroying jungle territory.
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Chile
President Sebastián Piñera delivered a pre-recorded message in which he decried the battle between politics and science during the ongoing pandemic, which he said has yielded disastrous public health outcomes. In spite of these challenges, however, he said that Chile has now fully vaccinated nearly 90% of its adult population. He said that Chile is also working with its international partners to prepare for future pandemics to guard against the loss of lives, jobs, and money that have characterised the current crisis.
The Chilean leader conceded, however, that some of the features of the current pandemic, such as protectionism, were also present before the onset of the coronavirus. However, given the economic impact of COVID-19, it is now more necessary than ever to embrace free-market principles and sign trade agreements with global partners. Simultaneously, nations must work to protect their own citizens, he said, highlighting that Chile has provided $35 million in financial assistance to around 16 million citizens. This, he said, has resulted in growth projections of around 10% this year, and allowed the country to recapture 80% of the jobs that were lost during the pandemic.
Nevertheless, some changes are irreversible, said Piñera, talking about climate change and the urgent and historic need to confront the climate crisis. He said that Chile accounts for around 0.25% of global emissions, but reassured the international community that the country plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040 by focusing on ‘decarbonisation’ and clean and renewable energy, particularly solar power. He then outlined how Chile would achieve this objective, by announcing the pillars of this strategy: ‘electrification’ of public transport; protection of the oceans and their biodiversity; protection of forests; and the circular economy.
Next, Piñera spoke about the erosion of democracy in Latin America, which he said stems from low economic growth, populism, polarisation, intolerance, fragmentation, poverty, inequality, corruption, government mismanagement, and noted that these factors have been amplified during the ongoing pandemic. He denounced how several countries in the region have “co-opted” the organs of the government that are intended to ensure free and fair elections and prevent the suppression of political opposition.
Keeping this in mind, he hailed Chile as an example for the region, given that it transitioned to democracy in 1990 and recently held a referendum in which citizens voted to amend the constitution.
Next, like many of his international counterparts, he noted that the world has changed “radically” since the formation of several international institutions, and thus called for the reform of these multilateral organisations to adapt to the needs of the modern world.
Lastly, the Chilean president talked about the challenges faced by Afghan women, particularly with regards to their physical safety and their rights to education and work, in light of the Taliban taking control of the country.