EXPLAINED: Why Brazil always takes the lead at UN General Assembly sessions

Leaders from all over the world, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have gathered in New York for the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The 76th UN General Assembly in New York started on September 21 and it will conclude on September 27. Opening the UN General Assembly, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro addressed the 76th session on September 21. The theme for the 76th UNGA meeting is "Building Resilience through hope to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalise the United Nations."

Brazil address at the UNGA

Informing about the Brazilian President's address, the Government of Brazil said, "As per tradition, Brazil opens the United Nations General Assembly. In his speech, this morning, President @JairBolsonaro highlighted the Brazilian government’s steadfast commitment to bettering not only our country, but the world as a whole." Since the 10th UNGA meeting held in 1995, Brazil has always been the first to address the United Nations General Assembly, followed by the United States. After the first two addresses, the order of speakers is not fixed and the sequence of speech of different world leaders is based on number of factors which includes level of representation and the importance of the speaker, reported Breezyscroll.

The sequence of the first speech of UN tradition dates back to the early days of the United Nations, as per Breezyscroll. Reportedly, after the second world war was over, several countries were hesitant to address the nations. At that time, Brazil had volunteered to be the first speaker. As per the report, Oswaldo Aranha, Brazil’s top diplomat presided over the first UN Assembly meeting. Aranha was also elected as the president of UNGA's second session later on. During the 76th UNGA, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro addressed the assembly on September 21. Following Brazil, the US is always the second to address the assembly and this year, US President Joe Biden addressed the UN General Assembly. 

Addressing the UNGA, Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro dismissed allegations levelled against his government for not handling the COVID pandemic properly, according to AP. During his speech, Bolsonaro showed the recent data that indicated less deforestation in the Amazon. As per the AP report, the Brazilian President flouted the rule of the General Assembly by participating in the session without taking the COVID-19 vaccination. 

(With Inputs from AP)

Image: Twitter/@govbrazil