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UN General Assembly General Debate · 64th regular session of the General Assembly

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

Lula speaks at the opening of the UN General Assembly, on September 23, 2009.
Lula speaks at the opening of the UN General Assembly, on September 23, 2009.Photo: Agência Brasil, CC BY 3.0 BR

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 64th session was delivered by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.[1]

The speech took place on September 23, 2009, at the 3rd plenary meeting of the 64th session.[2]

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

There is an official UN record (A/64/PV.3, in English) and a Portuguese text in the FUNAG collection.[4]

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 2009 speech published by FUNAG in the collection "O Brasil nas Nações Unidas 1946-2011," under the title "LXIV Sessão Ordinária da Assembleia Geral das Nações Unidas," pp. 945 to 950.[5]

The official verbatim record A/64/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.[6]

English translation: record A/64/PV.3 reproduces the text identified as "English text provided by the delegation."[7]

There is a Portuguese text of the speech of 09/23/2009 in a PDF from the Press Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, under the title "Discurso do Presidente da República, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, durante a abertura do debate geral da 64ª Assembleia Geral das Nações Unidas."[8]

In the Presidency's text, Lula announces three issues: the persistence of the economic crisis, the absence of stable and democratic global governance, and the risks of climate change.[9]

In the Presidency's text, Lula says that, more than the crisis of the big banks, this is the crisis of the great dogmas.[10]

In the Presidency's text, Lula says that poor and developing countries must increase their participation in the leadership of the IMF and the World Bank.[11]

In the Presidency's text, Lula mentions the coup d'état that overthrew the constitutional President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya.[12]

In the Presidency's text, Lula says that Brazil approved a Climate Change Plan that provides for an 80% reduction in Amazon deforestation by 2020.[13]

In the Presidency's text, Lula says he wants to consolidate Brazil's status as a world power in green energy.[14]

The speech of 09/23/2009 was also published in Portuguese in Resenha de Política Exterior do Brasil No. 105 (MRE, 2nd half of 2009).[15]

What remains to be documented

  • Speech content: Official video of the 2009 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 64th session was delivered by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

  2. 2. The speech took place on September 23, 2009, at the 3rd plenary meeting of the 64th session.

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

    • A/64/PV.3 – General Assembly, Sixty-fourth session, 3rd plenary meeting · United Nations (General Assembly) Official record
      Where: p. 6 of the PDF. Accessed October 13, 2026.
      “President Da Silva (spoke in Portuguese; English text provided by the delegation): The General Assembly has been and must continue to be the great forum for general debate concerning humankind’s major problems.”

  4. 4. There is an official UN record (A/64/PV.3, in English) and a Portuguese text in the FUNAG collection.

  5. 5. There is a Portuguese text of the 2009 speech published by FUNAG in the collection "O Brasil nas Nações Unidas 1946-2011," under the title "LXIV Sessão Ordinária da Assembleia Geral das Nações Unidas," pp. 945 to 950.

  6. 6. The official verbatim record A/64/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.

  7. 7. English translation: record A/64/PV.3 reproduces the text identified as "English text provided by the delegation."

    • A/64/PV.3 – General Assembly, Sixty-fourth session, 3rd plenary meeting · United Nations (General Assembly) Official record
      Where: p. 6 of the PDF. Accessed October 13, 2026.
      “President Da Silva (spoke in Portuguese; English text provided by the delegation): The General Assembly has been and must continue to be the great forum for general debate concerning humankind’s major problems.”

  8. 8. There is a Portuguese text of the speech of 09/23/2009 in a PDF from the Press Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, under the title "Discurso do Presidente da República, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, durante a abertura do debate geral da 64ª Assembleia Geral das Nações Unidas."

  9. 9. In the Presidency's text, Lula announces three issues: the persistence of the economic crisis, the absence of stable and democratic global governance, and the risks of climate change.

  10. 10. In the Presidency's text, Lula says that, more than the crisis of the big banks, this is the crisis of the great dogmas.

  11. 11. In the Presidency's text, Lula says that poor and developing countries must increase their participation in the leadership of the IMF and the World Bank.

  12. 12. In the Presidency's text, Lula mentions the coup d'état that overthrew the constitutional President of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya.

  13. 13. In the Presidency's text, Lula says that Brazil approved a Climate Change Plan that provides for an 80% reduction in Amazon deforestation by 2020.

  14. 14. In the Presidency's text, Lula says he wants to consolidate Brazil's status as a world power in green energy.

  15. 15. The speech of 09/23/2009 was also published in Portuguese in Resenha de Política Exterior do Brasil No. 105 (MRE, 2nd half of 2009).