President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) will receive, during his participation in COP27, in Egypt, a document that proposes guidelines for the foreign policy of the next government with a focus on the environment. Among the suggestions are the priority for the so-called South-South cooperation, the revitalization of blocs such as Mercosur, Unasur and Celac and the revision of the Mercosur-European Union agreement.
The text, obtained by Sheet, was prepared by two former ministers listed for prominent positions in the new administration: Izabella Teixeira, who held the Environment portfolio in the Dilma Rousseff (PT) government and is a counselor for the presidency of COP27, and the current senator Jaques Wagner (PT -BA), former holder of the Civil and Defense Household. Adriana Abdenur, executive director of Plataforma Cipó, and Pedro Abramovay, director for Latin America of the Open Society Foundation, are also authors of the proposals.
According to former Chancellor Celso Amorim, who signs the preface, the document “provides inputs for the climate to be central to Brazil’s international insertion strategy.”
Prepared in partnership with the Perseu Abramo Foundation, linked to the PT, the text defends the creation of a South American Climate and Development Council within the scope of UNASUR; strengthening of CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States), to coordinate regional cooperation in the sector; and the mobilization of ACTO (Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization) to address issues such as native peoples, deforestation, flying rivers, food and water security as a whole.
The proposal also calls for the end of Mercosur’s flexibilization agenda, defended by the current Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes, and the inclusion of Bolivia in the bloc, with the strengthening of the socio-environmental agenda.
“The climate must be thought of as a new basis for regional integration in South America and Latin America. Spaces such as Mercosur, Unasur and ACTO must be prioritized as ways of thinking about block negotiations”, says Abdenur.
Amorim, Lula’s main foreign policy adviser, says that the fight against the climate crisis will occupy a central space in the country’s international performance in the PT’s third term. “This fight will be supported by significant advances at the domestic level, starting with the resumption of the fight against deforestation in all Brazilian biomes, especially in the Amazon rainforest”, he writes.
The document advocates resuming technical cooperation between Brazil and African countries, through projects related to the climate —Lula’s first two terms, from 2003 to 2010, were marked by the expansion of relations with African nations, largely in the wake of the performance of the country’s contractors on the continent.
Another proposal is the elaboration of a joint declaration with China, with commitments on climate and environment, focused on protecting forests and promoting deforestation-free commodity chains. In this sense, the authors support the discussion on Brazil’s entry into the Beijing Belt and Road Initiative, “considering potential socio-environmental effects but also opportunities for investment in green infrastructure”.
In relations with Europe, the document suggests that the EU-Mercosur agreement, which advanced at the beginning of the administration of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and then became completely blocked, be reviewed. 🇧🇷[É preciso] guarantee clauses that demand socio-environmental, climate and human rights responsibility […] and prevent harmful impacts such as the export of carbon emissions from Europe to Mercosur and the de-industrialization of Brazil,” the authors write.
The ratification of the pact between the two blocs stalled due to pressure from countries such as France, which precisely called for greater commitments to Bolsonaro’s climate crisis mitigation, with criticism of the president’s environmental policy, widely seen as disastrous. Several European countries, however, refuse to reopen negotiations on points of the treaty – and a proposal for a revision could bury it for good.
Finally, the document argues that Brazil should take advantage of the cooperation and investment possibilities created by the United States through the so-called Inflation Reduction Law. Under this euphemistic name, Joe Biden’s package foresees a series of investments in the environmental area, in decarbonization projects, efficient use of energy and reduction of deforestation and fires.
“The climate also needs to be thought through the lens of geopolitics: in an international context where the rivalry of global powers is intensifying, it is very important that Brazil recovers its long tradition of South-South cooperation and can coordinate with other developing countries positions in relation to the climate agenda”, says Abdenur.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
