UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres used the scene of the Americas Summit to warn of the wave of authoritarianism and disinformation ravaging the region. In the speech taken by the delegations as a clear message about the threat to democracy, the head of the United Nations warned of the crisis in the Hemisphere.
In international institutions, President Jair Bolsonaro’s widespread use of threats to democracy and disinformation as a power strategy is alarming. In recent months, the UN has already caught Brazilian attention due to the shrinking civilian space.
Guterres did not mention country names in his speech. However, even within Itamaraty, the tone used was also considered a message to Brazilian reality.
“Across the region, we see countries that continue to bear the brunt of a toxic elixir of inequality, poverty, crime, insecurity and insecurity,” he said. The fear, in his view, is that “people risk losing faith in their government and institutions”, without tangible consequences for the daily challenges.
“They see crime and corruption go unpunished,” he said. “They see a corrupt global financial system that benefits the rich and punishes the poor. They see lies, misinformation and hate speech swirling, division sowing, mistrust and hatred,” he said.
“And they are hearing the voices of democracy, stifled by growing authoritarian and nationalist sentiments, making false promises of security and prosperity,” he warned.
Guterres urged the region to commit to “democratic systems that protect human rights defenders and truly reflect the voice of the people.”
The democracy warning issued by Guterres was not an isolated act. The day before, the event’s host and US President Joe Biden had stated that democracy was under attack.
source: Noticias
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