President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, during the opening of the General Debate of the 80th Ordinary Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Photo: Ricardo Stuckert

NNA News - Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is set to open the General Debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, with multilateralism, national sovereignty, conflict resolution and reform of the UN Security Council expected to feature prominently in Brazil’s message. Report compiled by Brasil 247. 

The General Debate runs from Sept. 22 to 28 under the theme “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All”. The United Nations confirms that Brazil has traditionally delivered the first national address since 1955, followed by the host country, the United States.

The Brazilian government has identified multilateralism and reform of global governance as longstanding priorities. Before the New York meeting, Lula was expected to argue that negotiations and international law should remain central to resolving disputes, while opposing interference in the internal affairs of states. Agência Brasil reported that reform of the Security Council would also be among the issues addressed. Brazil is a member of the G4 with Germany, India and Japan, which supports an expansion of the Security Council's permanent and non-permanent membership. The council currently has 15 members, including five permanent members with veto power.

Lula has previously linked Security Council reform to the changing distribution of political and economic power. Speaking at the 2025 BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, he said: “Including new permanent members from Asia, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean is more than a question of justice. It is ensuring the very survival of the UN.”

He also argued that the current system was contributing to institutional paralysis.“The meetings of the UN Security Council reproduce a script whose ending we all know: loss of credibility and paralysis,” Lula said in the same address.

The Brazilian position has also been expressed in broader discussions about reforming international institutions. In 2024, Lula told the UN Summit of the Future that “the crisis of global governance requires structural transformations”, while arguing that the Global South was not adequately represented in international institutions. Conflict resolution and humanitarian issues are also expected to form part of Brazil’s agenda during the high-level week. Brazil has said its delegation will participate in discussions concerning Palestine, the two-state solution, international humanitarian law, peacebuilding and inequality.

Lula has repeatedly called for negotiations in international conflicts. During a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York in 2023, he said: “We had a good conversation about the importance of finding paths towards peace and always keeping dialogue open between our countries.” The Brazilian delegation will also promote the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty, with a ministerial meeting scheduled for Wednesday. Brazil has made the initiative a central part of its international development agenda.

The UN General Assembly's 81st session brings together representatives of all 193 member states. UN General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman has framed the session around restoring confidence in multilateral cooperation amid conflicts, inequality, climate emergencies and rapid technological change. Lula is also scheduled to meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres during his brief New York visit. His programme includes meetings with Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and US Senator Bernie Sanders. As of the latest publicly available programme, no formal bilateral meeting between Lula and US President Donald Trump had been confirmed.

The proximity of the two presidents' speeches is nevertheless notable. Trump is scheduled to address the General Debate immediately after Brazil, placing the two governments' differing positions on international governance and bilateral relations in the same opening session.