Brazil's Lula cancels COP16 summit trip on medical advice: Presidency

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY (AA) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has canceled his trip to the COP16 UN biodiversity summit in Cali, Colombia, on medical advice, Brazil's presidential office, Planalto, said Friday.

The 78-year-old Brazilian leader was scheduled to depart Sunday to join the COP16 summit hosted by Colombian President Gustavo Petro. However, Lula was advised to avoid long trips following a head injury sustained from a fall in his bathroom on Oct. 19.

Earlier in the day, Lula underwent further medical examinations at Sirio-Libanes Hospital in Brasilia. According to the presidential office, the results confirmed that his health remains stable. However, he will continue his activities within Brasilia and is scheduled for another medical evaluation in five days.

This is the second time Lula has missed an international summit for medical reasons. On Oct. 23, he also skipped the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, and could only participate remotely via a video address.

The COP16 summit began in Colombia on Monday, with 15,000 attendees expected, including a dozen heads of state, 103 ministers, and over 1,000 international journalists, according to the UN.

On Thursday, President Petro expressed his disappointment at the lack of participation from world leaders in what has been labeled as one of the world's largest UN summits on biodiversity, directly addressing the absence of his Brazilian counterpart.

"The leaders did not come. Lula didn't even accompany me, but well, we'll see, but the people of the world from all corners of the planet have really come together," said Petro.