#celac

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva once again expressed concern about the unilateral decision by the US to apply tariffs on products from all their trading partners around the world and pointed to the risk of a “devastating effect” on the world economy.

“We don’t know what the devastating effect of this will be on the economy. We need to know how much this is going to cost from the point of view of the price of products, the multilateral relationship,” he told Brazilian journalists on Wednesday (Apr. 9), after taking part in the Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), in Tegucigalpa, capital of Honduras.

The president was referring to the new decision by the US president, who has further increased tariffs against China while reducing charges for 75 other countries. In president Lula’s view, the move signals a direct confrontation with the Asians and calls into question the sustainability of multilateralism and the balance among nations.

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President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called on Latin American and Caribbean countries to unite behind a sole female candidate from the region for the post of UN Secretary-General. The appeal was made during the 9th Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) on Wednesday (Apr. 9) in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

“Celac can contribute to restoring the credibility of the UN by electing the organization’s first woman Secretary-General,” said Lula. Brazil has suggested a special declaration on the subject to be considered during the event.

The Celac meeting is taking place amid heightened regional tensions, driven by the US government’s tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump and the tariff war launched by the White House.

"Freedom and self-determination become the first victims in a world devoid of multilaterally agreed rules. Immigrants are criminalized and subjected to inhumane deportations, while arbitrary tariffs destabilize the global economy and inflate prices," President Lula stated.