At UN Assembly, Brazilian President calls for global economic rebound

Highlighting her own country’s success in slashing extreme poverty, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff today used her role as first national leader to address the annual General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly to stress the urgent need to revive the global economy.

“It is vital and urgent to restore the dynamism of the global economy, which should work towards fostering investment, international trade and the reduction of inequalities among countries,” she told the leaders of 193 nations gathered here on the first day of the Debate, where Brazil has traditionally been called as the first national speaker.

“Regarding international trade, there must be a unanimous commitment to a work program that leads to the conclusion of the Doha Round (of international talks on eliminating tariffs and other barriers to global trade),” she said.

She called for an end to the insufficient representation and participation of developing countries in decision-making at international financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, as well as on the 15-member UN Security Council, a decades-old demand by Brazil and many other regional power-houses.

On the Israeli-Palestinian crisis Ms. Rousseff deplored the recent “tragic events” in Gaza and the disproportionate use of force that affected civilians, especially women and children, and reiterated her country’s support for a two-State solution, with Palestine and Israel living side by side in security and within internationally recognized borders.

She also condemned “the systematic massacre of the Syrian people; the tragic national destruction of Iraq; the serious insecurity in Libya; the conflicts in the Sahel; and the clashes in Ukraine.”

Ms. Rousseff is among the many leaders who will address the general debate of 69th General Assembly, which is meeting through 1 October on the theme, “Delivering on and Implementing a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda.” Made up of all the 193 Member States of the United Nations, the Assembly provides a forum for multilateral discussion of international issues covered by the UN Charter.