Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva appealed to the international community to help in the process of rebuilding Haiti.
Lula was addressing an audience of students and faculty members at the University of the Sorbonne in Paris. According to the President, the Haitian population must be provided a basis for renewed hope.
Six thousand troops, under Brazilian command, compose the United Nations peace force in Haiti. The International Fund for the Reconstruction of Haiti was set up in July of last year, and it was estimated that US$ 1 billion would be collected from donor countries, but the money has yet to reach Haiti.
Lula also asked for attention to be given to the African continent. “It is time for all of us to make a sacrifice to give Africa a chance to develop,” he said.
The President also called for the reform of the UN. “Being democratic means believing that everyone has the right to be an actor. And the arguments of the strongest are not always the strongest arguments.”
Germany, Brazil, India, and Japan, which comprise the so-called G-4, propose the creation of six more permanent seats on the UN Security Council: two of them to be filled by African countries (still unspecified) and the remainder by the members of the G-4.
The group also suggests raising the number of temporary seats from 10 to 14 and wants more egalitarian representation, including developed and developing countries.
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