Speech by the President of the Republic of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, at the Opening of the 75Th United Nations General Assembly September 22, 2020

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SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF BRAZIL, JAIR BOLSONARO, AT THE OPENING OF THE 75TH UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

FUNDAÇÃO ALEXANDRE DE GUSMÃO

SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF BRAZIL, JAIR BOLSONARO, AT THE OPENING OF THE 75TH UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY*

Mr. Secretary-General of the UN, António As has happened in a large portion of the Guterres, whom I am pleased to address in our world, a part of the Brazilian press also mother-tongue; politicized the virus, spreading panic among Heads of state, government, and dele- the population. Under the motto “stay home” gation; and “we’ll deal with the economy later,” they Ladies and gentlemen, almost brought social chaos to the country. It is an honor to open this Assembly with Our government dashingly implemented representatives of sovereign nations, at a several economic measures that prevented moment when the world needs the truth to disaster: overcome its challenges. - Granted emergency aid in installments Covid-19 has become the center of valued at approximately US$ 1 thousand to 65 attention throughout this year, and, firstly, I million people, the largest program of would like to lament each death that has taken assistance to the poor in Brazil and perhaps place. one of the largest in the world; Since the beginning, I have warned that we - Allotted over US$ 1 billion for health, aid had two problems to solve in my country: the to small and micro enterprises, as well as virus and unemployment, and that both should compensating the states’ and municipalities’ be treated simultaneously and with the same loss in tax collection; responsibility. - Assisted over 200 thousand indigenous Due to a judicial ruling, all measures of families with food and prevention of Covid; isolation and restriction of freedom were - Stimulated, obliging health practitioners, delegated to each of the 27 governors of the the early treatment of the disease; federative units. The President was in charge - Allotted US$ 400 billion for research, of allotting resources and means for the entire development, and production of the Oxford country. vaccine in Brazil;

* Transcription of the speech given by the President of the Republic of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, at the opening of the 75th United Nations General Assembly on September 22, 2020. Speech by the President of the Republic of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, at the 75th UNGA

Hospitals were not short of means to care international institutions to this campaign based for Covid patients. on vested interests that unite with Brazilian The pandemic leaves us the great lesson associations, profiteering and unpatriotic, with that we cannot depend only on a few nations the goal of harming the government and Brazil for the production of inputs and means essen- itself. tial to our survival. The input for the production We are leaders in the conservation of of hydroxychloroquine alone was readjusted in tropical forests. We have the cleanest and most 500% at the beginning of the pandemic. To that diversified energy matrix in the world. end, Brazil is open for the development of Despite being one of the 10 largest econo- cutting-edge technology and innovation, such mies in the world, we are responsible for a as industry 4.0, artificial intelligence, nano- mere 3% of the carbon emissions. technology, and the 5G technology, with any We ensure food security to a sixth of the partners who respect our sovereignty and care world population, even while preserving 66% of for freedom and data protection. our native vegetation and using only 27% of our In Brazil, despite the global crisis, rural territory for agriculture and raising livestock. production did not stop. The men in the field Numbers no other country can match. worked harder than ever and produced, as Brazil rises as the world’s largest food always, food for over 1 billion people. producer. Brazil contributed so that the world would That is why there is so much interest in continue being fed. spreading misinformation on our environment. Our transport in trucks, sea, port, and air We are open to the world in the best thing maintained the entire logistic flow for internal we have to offer, our products of the fields. We distribution and exportation. have never exported as much as we do now. Our agribusiness is still strong, and, above The world is increasingly dependent on Brazil all, has and respects the best environmental to feed itself. legislation in the planet. Our forest is humid and does not allow for Still, we are victims of one of the most the spread of fire within itself. The fires are brutal misinformation campaigns regarding the practically always in the same places, on the Amazon and the Pantanal. western edge of the Forest, where the caboclo The Brazilian Amazon is known to be and the indigenous burn their crops seeking extremely wealthy. This explains the support of their survival, in areas already deforested.

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Criminal fires are fought with rigor and In 2019, Brazil was the victim of a criminal determination. I maintain my zero tolerance Venezuelan oil spill, sold with no control, which policy regarding environmental crime. Together incurred in severe harm to the environment and with the National Congress, we seek the land serious losses in the activities of fishing and regulation, aiming to identify the authors of tourism. these crimes. Brazil deems it important to respect the I remind you that the Amazon region is freedom of navigation established in the United larger than the entirety of Western Europe. Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Hence the difficulty in fighting not only the fires However, the rules of environmental pro- but also illegal logging and biopiracy. That is tection must be respected, and crimes must be why we are broadening and improving the use investigated quickly, so that aggressions such of technology and enhancing inter-agency as the one against Brazil do not befall other operations, including with the participation of countries. the Armed Forces. It is not only in environmental preservation Our Pantanal, with an area larger than that the country is a leader. In the humanitarian many European countries, just like California, and human rights field, Brazil has become an suffers with the same problems. The large fires international reference due to its commitment are inevitable consequences of the local high and dedication in the support given to the temperatures, combined with the accumulation Venezuelan refugees arriving in the country of decomposing organic matter. through the border in the state of Roraima. Our concern with the environment goes Operation Shelter, headed by the Ministry beyond our forests. Our National Program to of Defense, has taken in almost 400 thousand Combat Marine Litter, one of the first to be Venezuelans displaced due to the serious launched in the world, creates a strategy for our political and economic crisis generated by the 8,5 thousand kilometers of coast. Bolivarian dictatorship. Along these lines, Brazil made efforts, With the participation of over 4 thousand during the COP25, in Madrid, to regulate the military personnel, the Humanitarian and Logis- articles of the Paris Agreement that would allow tic Task Force seeks to welcome, shelter and for the effective establishment of the interna- internalize the families arriving at the border. tional carbon market. Unfortunately, we were As a founding member of the UN, Brazil is beaten by protectionism. committed to the base principles of the Charter

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of the United Nations: international peace and During my government, Brazil is finally security, cooperation among the nations, abandoning a protectionist tradition and now respect to the human rights and fundamental sees commercial openness as the indis- freedoms of all. In this moment when the pensable tool for growth and transformation. organization completes 75 years in existence, I restate our support to the reform of the we have the opportunity to renew our commit- World Trade Organization, which must ment and fidelity to those ideals. Peace cannot discipline in accordance with the new be dissociated from security. international realities. Cooperation among the peoples cannot be We are equally close to the beginning of dissociated from freedom. Brazil has the princi- the official process of Brazil’s accession to the ples of peace, cooperation, and prevalence of OECD. Thus, we have adopted the highest the human rights inscribed in its own Constitu- levels of global practices in all areas, from tion, and it traditionally contributes, in practice, financial regulation to the domains of digital to the achievement of these objectives. security and environmental protection. Brazil has participated in over 50 peace- During my first year of government, we keeping operations and similar missions, concluded the Welfare reform, and, recently, having contributed with over 55 thousand presented two new reforms to the National military, police, and civilian personnel, with Congress: that of the tax system and the prominent roles in Suez, Angola, East Timor, administrative one. Haiti, Lebanon, and Congo. New regulatory frameworks in key sectors, Brazil has had two female members of the such as sanitation and natural gas, are also military win UN awards in the Mission in the being implemented. They will attract new Central African Republic for their work against investments, stimulate the economy, and sexual violence. generate income and employment. We remain committed to the conclusion of Brazil was, in 2019, the fourth most popular the trade agreements established between destination for direct investment in the world. MERCOSUR and the European Union and And, in the first semester of 2020, despite the with the European Free Trade Association. pandemic, we have seen an increase in These agreements include important clauses incoming investments, in comparison to the that reinforce our commitment to environ- same period in the last year. This proves the mental protection. world’s confidence in our government.

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Brazil has been working to, in coordination The peace agreements between Israel and with its South Atlantic partners, revitalize the the United Arab Emirates, and between Israel South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone. and Bahrain, three countries friendly to Brazil, Brazil is concerned with and condemns with which we have immensely broadened our terrorism all around the world. relations during my government, are excellent In Latin America, we continue working news. towards the preservation and promotion of Brazil also commends the Peace to democratic order as an indispensable basis for Prosperity Plan launched by President Donald the economic progress we seek. Trump, with a promising view to, after seven Freedom is humanity’s greatest good. decades of efforts, retake the path of the much- I appeal to the entire international commu- desired solution for the Israeli-Palestinian nity for religious freedom and for the fight conflict. against Christophobia. Brazil’s new policy of simultaneous rap- I would also like to reaffirm my solidarity prochement with Israel and the Arab countries and support to the people of Lebanon due to converges with these initiatives, which finally the recent adversities they have faced. light the flame of hope for the region. We believe this to be an opportune time to Brazil is a Christian, conservative country, work towards the opening of new horizons, with the family as its basis. much more optimistic ones for the future of the God bless you all! Middle East. And my thank you very much!