Foreign Affairs Committee members visit Brazil for multilaterals inquiry
26 April 2024
The Foreign Affairs Committee has conducted a visit to Brazil, to inform its inquiry into multilateral organisations.
During the visit, Members of the Committee met with the Secretary General of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Maria Laura da Rocha and Audo Faleiro, Deputy Chief Advisor to President Lula.
Members also met with members of the Supreme Court, and the Brazilian Congress Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee. The Committee also conducted meetings with Rodrigo Agostinho, President of the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, Carlos Cozendey, Director General of Multilaterals and Mauricio Lyrio, Brazil’s G20 Sherpa, alongside a series of further meetings with foreign policy organisations, think tanks and civil society groups.
Chair comment
Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Alicia Kearns MP, said:
“Brazil holds a unique position as a significant regional and global power, and a leading voice in the ‘Global South’.
“This year, Brazil holds the G20 Presidency and will soon host COP30. The Brazilian government has launched an ambitious set of foreign policy priorities, targeting food insecurity, poverty and environmental protection which it hopes to implement through its leadership in these multilateral institutions. As the majority of the Amazon rainforest falls within Brazil’s borders, international collaboration with Brazil is key to the health of our planet. There is much the UK and Brazil can do in partnership to prevent deforestation and work towards the COP30 goals.
“The UK and Brazil share a number of values, as democracies and rule of law countries. On important issues, such as Ukraine, Brazil has voted alongside the UK in the UN for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. Brazil is calling for a stronger voice for developing countries in multilateral institutions.
“Our inquiry into international relations within the multilateral system examines the different ways in which countries interact with multilaterals – whether that be the UN or the WHO. It also explores how countries engage with smaller ‘minilateral’ groups, such as BRICS and ASEAN.
“This visit deepened the Committee’s understanding of Brazilian foreign policy and its ambitions for multilateral engagement through discussions on a number of important issues that require multilateral co-operation, including climate, human rights, the situation in Venezuela and Haiti, and the war in Ukraine.”
Further information
Image credit: House of Commons