Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel called for major reforms to international economic institutions and national debts that have overwhelmingly harmed countries in the Global South. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also addressed the U.N. forum.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva: “We will continue to criticize any attempt to divide the world into zones of influence and to reissue the Cold War. The U.N. Security Council is progressively losing its credibility. This fragility stems in particular from the actions of its permanent members, who wage unauthorized wars in pursuit of territorial expansion or government change.”

Lula’s comments echoed calls for a change to the international order at this weekend’s G77 summit as low- and middle-income countries met in Havana, Cuba. Among those addressing the G77 was Honduran President Xiomara Castro.

President Xiomara Castro: “We are not pieces in a board that promotes dependency. Our nations must not keep on suffering the massive privatization of their territories.”