At a BRICS summit, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made a veiled criticism of the policies adopted by US President Donald Trump, Spanish news agency EFE reported.
Lula gave a short speech to the chief negotiators of the BRICS member countries, who gathered yesterday in Brazil. In his speech, the president highlighted the actions of leaders who "sabotage" The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes protectionism and dismisses the climate crisis, while criticizing the "big corporations" that dominate the technology sector.
"Poverty, lack of access to basic services and social exclusion create conditions for the spread of diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and dengue, which threaten some 1.7 billion people worldwide. Sabotaging the work of the WHO is a mistake with grave consequences," said Lula.
The Brazilian leader did not mention Trump explicitly, but expressed dissatisfaction with a number of decisions by the US administration, such as the US withdrawal from the WHO, the World Trade Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement, as well as the imposition of trade tariffs and support for big technology corporations.
"Those who rely on chaos and unpredictability are moving away from the collective commitments that humanity urgently needs to make. Negotiations based on force are a dangerous path to instability and war," the Brazilian president stressed.
Regarding the climate crisis, he warned that "the Paris Agreement is in danger", especially in the context of record temperatures and greenhouse gas concentrations on the planet.
Lula pointed out that "floods, droughts and fires have taken trillions of dollars from the global economy in the last decade", while "thousands of people have lost their lives in these disasters". He stressed that inaction would be costly and would affect everyone.
The Brazilian president also stressed the need to develop artificial intelligence to help overcome the ethical, social and economic challenges facing the poorest nations.
He added that it was important to prevent this technology from becoming a “monopoly of a few nations and companies“.
Lula also stated that “large corporations do not have the right to silence and destabilize entire nations with disinformation“, stressing that the BRICS countries must have a common position on this issue.
Since January, Brazil has assumed the rotating presidency of the BRICS – the association, which includes Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.
Yesterday, the first meeting of the chief negotiators took place, which launched preparations for the July summit in Rio de Janeiro.