President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made his speech at the 27th United Nations Climate Conference, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on November 16, a moment to set the tone he intends to adopt in international relations from the beginning of his term in office, in January 2023. He proposed a "global pact against hunger" and said he will be more "demanding" of rich countries for the payment of resources against climate change to developing countries, such as Brazil, as agreed in 2009 and that "so far has not been fulfilled," said Lula. He also reaffirmed campaign commitments to fight illegal activities in the Amazon, defended investments from international funds in the region, but that the country will not give up its sovereignty.

About the harsher tone in relation to the richer countries, Lula said that he did not return to do the same and that he will seek to do more. "That's why you can expect a more demanding Lula, so that we can make a world that is more just and humanly better for all of us," he said.

According to Lula, in 2009 "the countries present at COP15 in Copenhagen committed to mobilize 100 billion dollars a year, starting in 2020, to help the least developed countries to face climate change. This commitment has not been and is not being fulfilled. This leads us to reinforce, even more, the need to advance in another theme of this COP 27: we urgently need financial mechanisms to remedy losses and damages caused by climate change", he stated.

For Lula, the debate can no longer be postponed. "We can no longer postpone this debate. We need to deal with the reality of countries that have the very physical integrity of their territories threatened, and the survival conditions of their inhabitants seriously compromised. It is time to act. We have no time to lose. We can no longer live with this race towards the abyss," he said.

Still on the subject, Lula cited the cooperation agreement between Brazil, Indonesia and Congo, which this week created the so-called "Forest Opep" (or “Alliance of Forests"). Informing that he doesn't know much about the terms of the agreement, Lula said that the initiative "will be strengthened by my government.

As he said, "Together, our three countries hold 52 percent of the world's remaining primary tropical forests. Together we will work against the destruction of our forests, seeking sustainable financing mechanisms, to stop the advance of global warming," he said.  The "Forest Opep", as the union between the countries has been called, seeks to deepen cooperation on the environmental agenda and the protection of tropical forests. In practical terms, the new alliance should work to put into effect mechanisms for payment to countries and states that have results in reducing deforestation and protecting forests. The nickname refers to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEP), which has a strong weight in the world economy.

President-elect defends Amazon preservation, but with sovereignty and focus on people

Another widely applauded point during the president-elect's speech was the proposal to hold the first "Summit of the Member Countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty". Lula mentioned that the meeting between Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela will make them "for the first time, discuss in a sovereign way the promotion of integrated development of the region, with social inclusion and climate responsibility.”

Another initiative already presented by Lula at COP 27 was the country's candidacy to host COP 30, in 2025. "We will be increasingly assertive in the face of the challenge of confronting climate change, aligned with the commitments agreed in Paris and guided by the search for decarbonization of the global economy”. In his speech, Lula also said that he supports holding the event in an Amazonian city, as a message to the world, so "those who do not know this reality can know how people live in this region”. Lula also said that in the G20 meeting that Brazil will preside, in 2024, the climate agenda will be one of the priorities.

Still on the Amazon, Lula highlighted again that he will fight illegalities in the region and that he will seek international cooperation to subsidize inspection and development, but without interference. "We are open to international cooperation to preserve our biomes, whether in the form of investment or scientific research. But always under Brazil's leadership, without ever renouncing our sovereignty", he pointed out.

The president-elect also stressed that he will focus on preservation, but also with the region's inhabitants. Lula mentioned the creation of the Ministry of the Original Peoples, but did not anticipate  the name of who will be in charge of the Ministry, as had been speculated. "The native peoples and those who live in the Amazon region must be the protagonists of its preservation. The 28 million Brazilians who live in the Amazon have to be the first partners, agents and beneficiaries of a local sustainable development model, not of a model that by destroying the forest generates little and ephemeral wealth for a few, and environmental damage for many," he said.

On deforestation, Lula said he will meet the goal of zero deforestation by 2030. "There is no climate security for the world without a protected Amazon. We will spare no effort to zero deforestation and degradation of our biomes by 2030, just as more than 130 countries committed to do when they signed the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests, which is why I want to take advantage of this Conference to announce that the fight against climate change will have the highest profile in my government's structure. We will prioritize the fight against deforestation in all our biomes", he informed.

Another highlight in his speech was the attention given to agribusiness. "Agricultural production without environmental balance must be considered an action of the past. The goal we will pursue is production with balance, sequestering carbon, protecting our immense biodiversity, seeking the regeneration of the soil in all our biomes, and the increase of income for farmers and ranchers. I am sure that Brazilian agribusiness will be a strategic ally of our government in the search for a regenerative and sustainable agriculture, with investment in science, technology, and education in the field, valuing the knowledge of the native peoples and local communities", he said.

Lula wants more countries on the UN Security Council

Also during his speech, which was aimed especially at the international community, Lula also signaled that he will, during his mandate, defend more vacancies and veto power in the United Nations Security Council.

The Security Council is one of the main UN bodies. Made up of fifteen countries with voting rights, only five have permanent seats and the power of veto: the United States, France, Great Britain, China, and Russia. For the 2022-2023 biennium, Brazil was granted a temporary seat on the Council, repeating a feat that only occurred between 2010 and 2011. "We came back to help build a peaceful world order, based on dialogue, multilateralism and multipolarity," he said.

"We came back to propose a new global governance. The world today is not the same as it was in 1945. We need to include more countries in the UN Security Council and end the privilege of the veto, today restricted to a few, for the effective promotion of balance and peace," said Lula.