President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva has said anti-democratic forces won’t defeat Brazil’s hard-won democracy, noting that the country’s democracy and sovereignty are non-negotiable.

Mr Silva said this while delivering his statement at the ongoing 80th session of the UN General Assembly.

He said a former head of State was convicted of attacking democracy, the first time in 525 years of Brazilian history, the right to defend himself in court was upheld, something that would be denied under a dictatorship.

That sent a message to “aspiring autocrats” and their supporters that Brazil’s democracy is not negotiable.

“Brazil has and will continue to defend against unilateral measures targeting its judiciary and economy, he said.

Turning to Latin America and the Caribbean, he said, “The path to dialogue must not be closed in Venezuela. Haiti has the right to a violence-free future.  And it is unacceptable that Cuba be listed as a country that sponsors terrorism. The only war of which everyone can emerge victorious is the one we wage against hunger and poverty.”

According to him, Brazil was removed from the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Hunger Map in 2025, although globally, 2.3 billion people face food insecurity.

The Brazilian president said the international community’s priorities must change to focus on reducing arms spending, increasing development aid, debt relief for the poorest nations, and setting a minimum global tax “so that the super-rich pay more taxes than workers”.

 (NAN)