The Presidents of Brazil, Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, and of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, strongly criticized on Saturday 21 March 2026 the capacity of the United Nations to prevent international conflicts at a CELAC-Africa meeting in Bogota. Lula denounced a « total and absolute failure » of the organization, accusing the Security Council, dominated by its permanent members, of no longer fulfilling its peacekeeping mission.
The Brazilian leader felt that the current structure of the United Nations favours powers at the expense of weaker countries, citing, inter alia, conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and Iran to illustrate the inability of the international community to prevent wars. He called for reform of the Security Council and a more balanced multilateralism to ensure international relations based on dialogue rather than on force.
For his part, Gustavo Petro claimed that the UN is going through a « crisis » because of its inability to solve the common problems of humanity and to avoid a global escalation. The President of Colombia called for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing conflicts and enhanced cooperation among the countries of the South, believing that Latin America and the Caribbean have a special responsibility to defend peace and preserve multilateralism.
