“We’re proud of our tradition of offering shelter,” Temer says at UN
In his opening speech at the 73rd General Assembly of the United Nations (UN), delivered today (Sep. 25) in New York, President Michel Temer highlighted Brazil’s vocation to welcome immigrants and mentioned the entry of thousands of Venezuelans into national territory.
“In Brazil, we are proud of our tradition of offering shelter. We are a people formed amid diversity. There’s a piece of the world in every Brazilian,” he said. “Brazil has welcomed everyone coming to our territory. We seek to provide tens of thousands of Venezuelans with all the required assistance,” he added.
Temer also discussed the role of diplomacy and multilateralism in global security, especially in the fight against terrorism and transnational crime, like the trafficking in persons, guns, and drugs, and reiterated Brazil’s position in favor of an overhaul in the UN Security Council.
The president seized his last chance to speak at the opening ceremony of a UN assembly to take stock of his administration and pledge to deliver to his successor a country with better fiscal and economic conditions, and a democracy founded on solid institutions.
“We said no to populism and defeated the worst recession in our history—a recession with severe consequences for society, especially for the poor. We’ve brought public accounts back to its responsible trajectory and restored the credibility of the economy. We resumed growth and the generation of employment. Social programs previously threatened by out-of-control spending were saved and amplified. We’ve brought Brazil back to the development track,” he added.
The president criticized isolationism, intolerance, and unilateralism, which he said could undermine “the enhancement of international order,” which has become more and more solid over recent decades. He argued yet again for a reform in the UN Security Council. “We must strengthen this organization. We need to make it more legitimate and efficient. We need important reforms—among them that of the Security Council, which currently reflects a world that no longer exists. In conclusion, we need to reinvigorate the values of diplomacy and multilateralism.”
