Brazil is campaigning to be elected for the 11th time a rotating member of the United Nations (United Nations) Security Council, in a move to consolidate the country as one of the most frequent participants in the body responsible for ensuring peace on the world stage.
Although diplomats predict that Brazil is on track to secure the necessary two-thirds of the votes among UN member states, the country is going through the elections under the shadow of President Jair Bolsonaro’s worn international image.
Since the start of his government, the Brazilian has accumulated clashes with European countries, the Arab world, China and, more recently, the United States led by President Joe Biden.
The election is scheduled for June. The Security Council is made up of five permanent members with veto power – the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and France – and ten rotating members, each with a two-year term.
Half of the non-permanent participants are renewed each year.
The main asset of the Brazilian government is a strong history of participation in the entity – alongside Japan, it is the country that has fulfilled the most temporary mandates – and the fact that it was the only candidate of the Latin group. – American and Caribbean. far.
The last time Brazil participated in this organization was in 2011, still under the leadership of Dilma Rousseff (PT). If elected now, the country will take over in 2022 for a two-year term.
Vacancies on the board are defined by geographic areas. Latin Americans traditionally follow a rotating deal not to pitch more than one candidate.
Diplomats working on the issue at Itamaraty have checked whether another Latin American government is willing to launch a competing postulation with the Brazilian government, but report that to date there is no indication that this will happen.
Also, on the last occasion when there was an internal dispute within the Latin American group, the country that had the promised vacancy encountered no problem in getting elected.
In 2019, El Salvador made a last-minute attempt to compete for the post with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, but only garnered support from six countries. The small island state, on the other hand, received 185 votes.
According to diplomats consulted by Folha, Brazil’s size and importance to Latin America discourages the submission of alternative candidates, although this possibility cannot be ruled out until the process is completed.
Many neighboring countries also endorse Brazil’s historic demand for UN reform to secure a permanent seat – without veto power – on the council, considering Latin America to be under-represented by the entity.
Although Brazil is seen as a strong candidate in the dispute for the temporary mandate, diplomats believe Brazil’s conservative shift in foreign policy could generate some resistance to the country’s postulation.
Brazilian Chancellor Ernesto Araújo is at the top of the scholarship agenda. The country has already faced diplomatic problems due to the ideological wing of the government.
Before considered an interlocutor with transit conditions between opposing countries, Bolsonaro’s Brazil broke historical positions and entered a collision course with traditional partners.
The interlocutors who follow the theme mainly emphasize the alignment of Brazil with Israel on issues related to the conflict with the Palestinians, which generates animosity between the Arab countries and the Islamic world.
The Bolsonaro government’s lack of engagement with Africa and the decision to support the United States in the UN vote on the embargo on Cuba are also reported as actions that arouse mistrust in other nations.
Former Chancellor Celso Amorim – who chaired the work of the Security Council in 1999 – believes Brazil is unlikely to be elected. But he points out that the positions taken by Bolsonaro could lead the country to have a vote below previous performances.
“Without another candidate [do grupo latino-americano] it is difficult not to be elected. Now Brazil can have a demoralizing low vote. Brazil was elected almost unanimously. Sometimes one or two [países] they did not vote in Brazil, but it was to be more dissatisfied with the system of choice than with Brazil, ”he said.
“I see a loss of prestige in Brazil, which fundamentally affects the ability to act in the Council.”
Wanted, Itamaraty said he had “sought to garner the broadest possible support for the Brazilian election.”
The ministry also said Brazil’s candidacy was rooted in the country’s historic commitments to “international peace and security and the defense and protection of human rights, fundamental freedoms and human dignity”.
<< Le Gouvernement brésilien continuera de défendre le rôle du Conseil de sécurité dans la prévention et la résolution des menaces contre la paix et la sécurité internationales, toujours conformément aux buts et principes énoncés dans la Charte des Nations Unies et dans le respect de la souveraineté de toutes les nations >>, he declared.
“In addition, [o governo] undertakes to maintain, to the extent of its capabilities, an effective contribution to United Nations peacekeeping missions, ”the Chancellery said.