Why Brazil always speaks first at the UN General Assembly

Brazil will open the general debate at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, a tradition upheld for seven decades despite no written rule mandating it. The United States follows as second speaker. The practice began in 1955 when no country wanted the protocol-heavy first slot, and Brazil volunteered, making it customary. Other theories suggest it was recognition of diplomat Oswaldo Aranha or compensation for Brazil's exclusion from the Security Council. The tradition has only been broken in 1983 and 1984, when US President Ronald Reagan spoke first. Before 1955, Mexico, the Philippines, Cuba, and Canada opened the debate.