The COP28 statements by President Lula

COP28, DUBAI / AGILITYPR.NEWS / December 04, 2023 / President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attended COP28 on 1 and 2 December 2023.

The President of Brazil participated in the opening ceremony of the conference, along with the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, King Charles III of the United Kingdom, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres. The English translation of President Lula’s statement can be found here. “The choice of these four leaders to speak at the opening ceremony of COP28 reflects the relevant role played by Brazil, leading by example in the combat of climate change and in environmental preservation,” stated the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Ambassador Mauro Vieira.

President Lula also delivered Brazil’s statement at the High-Level Segment for Heads of State and Government of COP 28, where he presented the proposal “Mission 1.5”. He said that Brazil had already adjusted its NDC and committed to reducing emissions by 48% by 2025 and 53% by 2030, as well as achieving climate neutrality by 2050. President Lula underscored Brazil’s success in reducing deforestation by almost 50% in the first 10 months of 2023 and highlighted the fact that the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities is non-negotiable. “It is unacceptable that the promise of 100 billion dollars a year made by the developed countries will not come to fruition while, in 2021, military spending reached 2.2 trillion dollars”, he stated.

The President of Brazil also spoke at the G77 Summit held at COP28. He explained that developing countries are the most affected by climate change and are being doubly punished, since the costs of the developed world’s transition are being transferred to the Global South. “Protectionist barriers and unilateral measures imposed by rich countries under the pretext of sustainability lay bare the hypocrisy of free trade rhetoric,” he stated. President Lula noted that “climate and environmental financing cannot reproduce the exclusionary logic” of the World Bank and the IMF and said that “on the GEF Council, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador are obliged to share a single seat, while several developed countries occupy their own seat.”

As he was invited to take the floor in the high-level event "Forests: Protecting Nature for the Climate, Lives and Subsistence", President Lula handed over the microphone to the Minister for Environment and Climate, Marina Silva. “Many COPs were held —28 of them — before forests could come and speak for themselves. And I couldn't talk about forests if there is a person from the forest in my government,” he said. While there was a prepared speech for the President, he suggested that Minister Marina Silva should speak “from her heart”. The transcript of their joint participation in the event can be found here.

At the margins of COP28, President Lula also held bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister of Spain, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the President of the European Commission, the President of Cuba, the President of the French Republic and the Chairperson of the African Union.