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UN General Assembly General Debate · 59th regular session of the General Assembly

Address by Mr. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil

Lula at the Itamaraty Palace, in Brasília, in November 2004 (photo from the same year; it does not show the speech at the UN).
Lula at the Itamaraty Palace, in Brasília, in November 2004 (photo from the same year; it does not show the speech at the UN).Photo: Antoniorosset, CC BY-SA

Available records

The prepared text may differ from what was actually said. Any significant difference is recorded below.

Quotations are our translation from the Portuguese; the original wording is in the source excerpt.

Documentary record

The Brazilian opening speech of the General Debate of the 59th session was delivered by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.[1]

The speech took place on September 21, 2004, at the 3rd plenary meeting of the 59th session of the General Assembly, in New York.[2]

Lula spoke in Portuguese; the record carries the English text provided by the delegation.[3]

There is a record of the speech in the official UN record A/59/PV.3, in English, and a Portuguese text in the FUNAG collection "O Brasil nas Nações Unidas 1946-2011."[4]

On the eve of the speech, on September 20, 2004, Lula spoke at the meeting of world leaders for "Action against hunger and poverty," at UN headquarters, which he presented as an initiative shared with Jacques Chirac, Ricardo Lagos, and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.[5]

On the same day, September 20, 2004, Lula also spoke at a meeting of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, in New York, according to Resenha No. 95.[6]

Topics, with excerpts from the speech

Each topic is backed by the literal excerpt, given in the source note.

There is a Portuguese text of the 2004 speech published by FUNAG in the collection "O Brasil nas Nações Unidas 1946-2011," under the title "LIX Sessão Ordinária da Assembleia Geral das Nações Unidas," pp. 853 to 859.[7]

The official verbatim record A/59/PV.3 records the speech; it states that Lula spoke in Portuguese and that the English text was provided by the delegation; the header note of the record states that speeches made in other languages appear in interpretation.[8]

In record A/59/PV.3, the English text of the speech is identified as "English text provided by the delegation."[9]

The 2004 speech was also published in Portuguese by FUNAG in "Discursos Selecionados do Presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva" (2008), starting on p. 33; this version has minor differences in wording compared with the 2012 collection (e.g., "pela desigualdade, a fome e a desesperança").[10]

In the published text, Lula states that asymmetric and exclusionary globalization deepened the legacy of misery and social regression.[11]

In the published text, Lula says that peace will never be born of hunger and poverty.[12]

In the published text, Lula advocates a change in the financing flows of multilateral organizations.[13]

In the published text, Lula cites the response of Brazil and other Latin American countries to the UN call for the stabilization of Haiti.[14]

In the published text, Lula says that Brazil is committed to the success of the International Climate Change Regime.[15]

In the published text, Lula says that a reform without an increase in the number of permanent members is insufficient.[16]

The speech of 09/21/2004 was also published in Portuguese in Resenha de Política Exterior do Brasil No. 95 (MRE, 2nd half of 2004).[17]

What remains to be documented

  • Speech content: Official video of the 2004 speech not located in this round.

Sources and evidence

Excerpts are quoted in the original language of the source.

  1. 1. The Brazilian opening speech of the General Debate of the 59th session was delivered by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

  2. 2. The speech took place on September 21, 2004, at the 3rd plenary meeting of the 59th session of the General Assembly, in New York.

  3. 3. Lula spoke in Portuguese; the record carries the English text provided by the delegation.

    • A/59/PV.3 – General Assembly, Fifty-ninth session, 3rd plenary meeting · United Nations (General Assembly) Official record
      Where: p. 4 of the PDF. Accessed October 13, 2026.
      “President Da Silva (spoke in Portuguese; English text provided by the delegation): Through Foreign Minister Jean Ping of Gabon, I greet the representatives of all peoples gathered here today.”

  4. 4. There is a record of the speech in the official UN record A/59/PV.3, in English, and a Portuguese text in the FUNAG collection "O Brasil nas Nações Unidas 1946-2011."

  5. 5. On the eve of the speech, on September 20, 2004, Lula spoke at the meeting of world leaders for "Action against hunger and poverty," at UN headquarters, which he presented as an initiative shared with Jacques Chirac, Ricardo Lagos, and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

    • Resenha de Política Exterior do Brasil, nº 95, 2º semestre de 2004 · Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FUNAG/CHDD digital edition) Official record
      Where: p. 94, title of the speech. Accessed October 14, 2026.
      “Discurso do Presidente da República, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, na reunião de líderes mundiais para a “Ação contra a fome e a pobreza”, na sede das Nações Unidas, em Nova York, em 20 de setembro de 2004”
    • Resenha de Política Exterior do Brasil, nº 95, 2º semestre de 2004 · Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FUNAG/CHDD digital edition) Official record
      Where: p. 94, first paragraph. Accessed October 14, 2026.
      “Como todos sabem, esta reunião é uma iniciativa compartilhada, na qual sou acompanhado pelos Presidentes Jacques Chirac, da França; Ricardo Lagos, do Chile e José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, do Governo da Espanha.”

  6. 6. On the same day, September 20, 2004, Lula also spoke at a meeting of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization, in New York, according to Resenha No. 95.

    • Resenha de Política Exterior do Brasil, nº 95, 2º semestre de 2004 · Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FUNAG/CHDD digital edition) Official record
      Where: table of contents, entry for p. 93. Accessed October 14, 2026.
      “Discurso do Presidente da República, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, durante reunião da Comissão Mundial sobre a Dimensão Social da Globalização, em Nova York, em 20 de setembro de 2004”

  7. 7. There is a Portuguese text of the 2004 speech published by FUNAG in the collection "O Brasil nas Nações Unidas 1946-2011," under the title "LIX Sessão Ordinária da Assembleia Geral das Nações Unidas," pp. 853 to 859.

  8. 8. The official verbatim record A/59/PV.3 records the speech; it states that Lula spoke in Portuguese and that the English text was provided by the delegation; the header note of the record states that speeches made in other languages appear in interpretation.

  9. 9. In record A/59/PV.3, the English text of the speech is identified as "English text provided by the delegation."

    • A/59/PV.3 – General Assembly, Fifty-ninth session, 3rd plenary meeting · United Nations (General Assembly) Official record
      Where: p. 4 of the PDF. Accessed October 13, 2026.
      “President Da Silva (spoke in Portuguese; English text provided by the delegation): Through Foreign Minister Jean Ping of Gabon, I greet the representatives of all peoples gathered here today.”

  10. 10. The 2004 speech was also published in Portuguese by FUNAG in "Discursos Selecionados do Presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva" (2008), starting on p. 33; this version has minor differences in wording compared with the 2012 collection (e.g., "pela desigualdade, a fome e a desesperança").

  11. 11. In the published text, Lula states that asymmetric and exclusionary globalization deepened the legacy of misery and social regression.

  12. 12. In the published text, Lula says that peace will never be born of hunger and poverty.

  13. 13. In the published text, Lula advocates a change in the financing flows of multilateral organizations.

  14. 14. In the published text, Lula cites the response of Brazil and other Latin American countries to the UN call for the stabilization of Haiti.

  15. 15. In the published text, Lula says that Brazil is committed to the success of the International Climate Change Regime.

  16. 16. In the published text, Lula says that a reform without an increase in the number of permanent members is insufficient.

  17. 17. The speech of 09/21/2004 was also published in Portuguese in Resenha de Política Exterior do Brasil No. 95 (MRE, 2nd half of 2004).

    • Resenha de Política Exterior do Brasil, nº 95, 2º semestre de 2004 · Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FUNAG/CHDD digital edition) Official record
      Where: p. 99, title of the speech. Accessed October 14, 2026.
      “Discurso do Presidente da República, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, na 59ª Assembléia-Geral das Nações Unidas, em Nova York, em 21 de setembro de 2004”