By Tony Phillips*- Project Allende*
Two major UN meetings happened in the two weeks on either side of the weekend of the 20/21st September, 2024. First came the Summit for the Future that reached an approvable compromise to address global challenges from conflicts and climate change, Artificial Intelligence and UN reform as well as reform of Global Financial Institutions. Then, on the week of the 23rd., began the 79th. UN General Assembly (UNGA) a chance to put these into place.
The Summit for the Future adopted three agreements:
-The Pact for the Future,
-A Global Digital Compact (including Artificial Intelligence),
-A Declaration on Future Generations.
The Summit of the Future is sustainable development on steroids but expertly watered down by Jeffery Sachs so that a majority of UN nations might sign up to all three parts. On it’s own the Summit for the Future is insufficient to address the World’s greatest problems but the changes reflected there, and extended work announced the next week at the UN General Assembly, combined with more talk of reforming the United Nations, comes a long way to bring hope to many in times when peace and hope are in short supply.
At the UN General Headquarters broadcast live to the World the Summit of the Future was passed by a large majority of World leaders who attended. The stated aims were “to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future.” The UNGA followed on Tuesday, September 24th, 2024 with many world leaders speaking at both events.
The United States, Argentina and Paraguay were the only nations in the Americas to vote against the Summit of the Future. Another 11 nations, seven of which are small islands in the pacific (Fiji, Micronesia, Nauru, Tonga, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu) who all usually vote with the US. Also against the Future were Israel, Malawi, Hungary and Czechia. In the Americas all nations voted for the Future except the previously mentioned three and seven abstentions from Canada, Costa Rica, The Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama and Uruguay.
A Philosophy of Choice for the Future
Jeffery Sachs at a Pre-Summit of the Future address mentioned that a philosophical discussion of the kind of Future World we Want, does not occur at the UN security council, nor at the G-20; nor do World leaders speak of philosophy nor their military generals (people, Sachs referred to as those “who determine our lives and deaths”.
Jeffery emphasized peace and young people but noted that the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist’s doomsday clock (founded by Einstein and Oppenheimer) is at 90 seconds to midnight (the closest to the end of the World it ever has been).
Sachs referred to US navy openly suggesting a war with China by 2027, something he described as ‘insanity’. Migrants, marginalized populations, future generations, post-colonialism, relations with the biosphere are truly philosophical subjects, Sachs added. The great philosophers were failed policy advisers or politicians (referring to Plato and Confucius, Machiavelli, Locke and John Stuart Mill). Sachs then spoke about the importance of the Pope’s initiatives and the importance of standing for peace.
The following analysis of the disparate reactions to both events at the UN is taken from the speeches of South American Presidential leaders.
Brazil
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, addressed the general debate of the 79th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. He greeted the Palestinian Nation at their first meeting. “Here yesterday we adopted the Summit of the Future”, Lula mentioned, adding that “the world is living in a time of growing anguish and fear, 2023 was the most conflictive year since WWII with global military spending at $2.4Tn. (USD)”, he said. Peace in Ukraine can be reached based on the Chinese and Brazilian 6-point plan, he added, but the situation in Israel and Palestine with 40,000 Palestinian Children women and men killed by the Israeli Defence Forces shows that what was claimed as a “right to defence” ha become the “right to vengeance”.
We cannot go off planet, Lula argued, we are doomed to climate change interdependence. Failure and underfunding of this task, first led to denialism, but that has succumbed to a harsh reality of Climate Change with 2024 probably going to be the hottest year on the human record. Lula mentioned floods in Southern Brazil, two million hectares of fire damage in the Amazon and terrible drought, adding that he was reducing deforestation and that it will be eradicated by 2030. “Listen to the indigenous people”, he said.
Brazil will host COP-30 in 2025 believing that multilateralism is the only way to overcome climate change. It is time to face the debate about the slow pace of the planet’s de-carbonization and work for an economy less reliant on fossil fuels. Isolationism or ultra-liberal experiments (in neighbouring Argentina) only worsen the difficulties of an impoverished continent.
The 150 largest corporations have made profits of 1.2Tn. dollars and the rich pay much less tax (on percentage terms) than many poor. 733 Million people are undernourished, a massive increase. The UN is increasingly empty and paralyzed. Comprehensive charter changes have not been made but they’re needed now, one off adjustments are not enough, the reform will be difficult, but that is our responsibility, “we cannot wait for another World War”, Lula argued. He highlighted the following challenges:
-Transforming the Economic and Social Council into the main form for dealing with sustainable development and the fight against climate change with a real capacity for finance,
-Revitalizing the General Assembly for peace and security,
-Strengthening the Peace Building Commission,
-Reform the Security Council, it’s composition, working methods, and veto powers, in order to make it more effective and representative of contemporary reality (excluding Africa and South America, Lula claimed, is a result of domination practices from the colonial past),
-Work should happen with other fora like the G77, BRICS, Caricom etcetera…
Argentina
Argentina was represented at the UN by their Head of Foreign Relations, former Banker Diana Mondino, who, like the Argentine president, rather than speak to the World’s Future (which they had rejected) spoke, instead, to Argentina’s past. Mondino started off with a “Lighthouse of liberty & Freedom” speech, reflecting the curious libertarian experiment underway in Argentina (which is not going too well so far).
Milei, Mondino and their small LLA party, are busy rewriting Argentina’s constitution using bulk packets of pre-prepared legislative changes written by corporate lawyers, and a very illiberal list of presidential decrees to bring the nation back to an idealized past captured in the 1853 Argentine Constitution.
Mondino and the Future don’t play well, indeed she’s more focused on a mythical past when women like herself still had 80 years of struggle ahead of them to even have the right to vote. “No rhetoric”, said Mondino “just work, work, and more work!” ended the curious advice from the former banker.
Javier Gerardo Milei spoke at the UNGA, sandwiched between Comrade, Commander-in-Chief, His Excellency, Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan and President Bukele of El Salvador. Javier introducing himself, “for those you who are unaware”, as a liberal libertarian economist who never aimed to be a politician but who was honoured as President after the resounding failure of 100 years of collectivist economic destruction. In truth Milei was a member of the national congress for two years before standing for presidential election. In Milei’s first speech to the UN General Assembly he “humbly” warned the UN against continuing with its “collectivist” policies and then went on to describe the values of his “New Argentina”.
Milei decided to lecture the UN on the UN. He first congratulating them on the long peaceful period and economic growth, since the end of WWII avoiding another World War for 70+ years. Milei then commented on the success of five great powers sitting at the same table each with veto powers working together albeit with counter-posing interests. He defended the countries at the five seats of the defense council quoting some prophet called Isiah, and peaceful nations beating their swords into ploughshares. This somewhat idyllic reality mainly lives only in his imagination. Argentina, he added, considers the UN socialist, and his government thus against it, most especially against Agenda 2030.
Milei then started to ramble, slipping into Trumpian anti-globalism. The UN, he said, having stopped being a shield to protect the reign of men, had become “a Leviathan with multiple tentacles deciding how citizens should live imposing its ideology on an endless list of topics”. The ideas of US President Wilson, who spoke of peace without victory, was a successful model, Milei argued, but had been abandoned, replaced with supranational government of international bureaucrats attempting to impose on citizens a specific way of living. The Summit for the Future in New York this week brings us further down this tragic path, Milei added, calling on us to define a new social contract redoubling our commitment to the 2030 “socialist” agenda.
Javier Milei then went on to preach to the 150+ nations who voted against the state of Israel, most of whom had gone home by then, that the only country that defends democracy in the region, that they voted wrongly too. It only went downhill from there with Milei arguing the only way to guarantee prosperity is to defend commercial freedom stopping the UN from discrimination against individuals.
Lockdowns in 2020 he argued were a “crime against humanity”. On and on it went as the hole got deeper. “We are at the end of a century of anarchy and the ‘woke’ agenda and fatal end of liberty in Argentina. […] Malthusianism, Sexual restriction”. Finally Javier argued that Liberal nations in the World need to rewrite the UN Agenda. He ended with abandoning Argentina’s neutrality claiming that God will bless his country. Long live freedom, God-dammit.
Colombia
Gustavo Petro Urrego, president of Colombia also spoke at both events, first at the Summit, then the General Assembly (UNGA). On the Future Petro quoted the famous physician Stephen Hawkins, who when he was asked what he thought were the potential causes of the end of mankind would be, had mentioned two: Artificial Intelligence and Climate Change and suggested that AI might allow us time to increase productivity and free time (what he described as “true wealth”). Petro presented his vision of the future was a global democracy which would plan green energy across the planet teaching AI to emancipate mankind.
At the UNGA a few days later on Tuesday 24th. he spoke about power and money and the destructive power of war. Those of us who are important are those who want to sustain life on Earth, he said. But no one listens to weak presidents who do not have war machines in the Gaza Genocide.
Going back to climate change Petro added that last year eleven million Hectares of Amazon forests burned in a month and now the Amazon is burning again. Ernest Hemingway said that bells would toll for all of human life. The democratic project of human kind is dying along with life while racists are getting ready to dominate the World. When Gaza dies the whole of humanity will die he argued. The people of God is humankind as one, he added, we are all the chosen ones. Like in the film Don’t Look Up! global media, Petro argued, is obsessed with the global power of the richest 1% (the global oligarchy) with the power to ban news.
Now we must decide between human life or greed, he said. Fossil fuel capital cannot continue, the carbon in the atmosphere is lethal. Intelligent life must defend itself and defend other lives from a global oligarchy. New wealth needs to be created (possibly with a controlled AI). The flag we fly is the flag of life. We need to choose between Life or Greed. The free market was the maximization of death.
Petro concluded that it is time for the people to wage a battle to solve human kind’s problems so that we can come together. Let us revive that magic that thinking that has allowed us to survive through a global revolution. If life manages to triumph over its very extinction it won’t be the global oligarchy that will rule the world, that oligarchy will be defeated to allow for a global democracy.
Chile
Gabriel Boric president of Chile, addressed the general assembly speaking of an end in privilege and greater distribution of wealth so that the climate crisis becomes a priority but he reminded people of what President Lula DaSilva said that if we get success as it’s currently defined, we would still only reach only 17% of what is needed. He said that the UN needed to be revitalized and the security council needs to be changed.
At the UNGA Boric focussed on the establishment of a new security council with Brazil, India and “at least one African nation” on that new council . He suggested the deadline should be the 80th. anniversary of the birth of the United Nations; next year in 2025! He reminded us of the swift collapse of the League of Nations advocating fast change to keep the UN alive.
Boric also supported African suggestions for global taxation revenue collection to finance the fight against climate change where nations and multinational companies pay their fair share to the nations who provide their wealth. Human rights are ambiguous when our friends are responsible for the human rights abuse, he argued, citing double-standards for Palestine, Venezuela, Ukraine, Nicaragua or Afghanistan. All are human and all with human rights. Rather than choosing between Israeli or Hamas barbarity he called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a clear release of hostages with Israel respecting international law and end of growth in illegal settlements. He also called on the UN to bring peace between Russia and Ukraine.
Boric then continued with a list of other issues including AI and finishing with climate change calling these another of a list of problems that defy borders citing Chilean wild fires and even commenting on the current fires in Córdoba, Argentina. Boric, in this sense, called on leaders not to deny human influence in climate change (an obvious reference to Milei’s ignorance on the topic).
Conclusion
Time to pave the way for a peaceful and Fossil Fuel Free Future,
Many of South America’s presidents are behind it!
But not poor Argentina…
*Universidad de Buenos Aires | UBA · Economics Department Magister
*https://projectallende.org/