UK–Brazil Partnership on Green and Inclusive Growth: joint declaration
Published 26 May 2023
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Joint Declaration launching the UK–Brazil Partnership on Green and Inclusive Growth on the occasion of the official visit to Brazil of the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Mr James Cleverly.
Today, May 24th 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Mr Mauro Vieira, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Brazil, Ms Marina Silva and the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (hereinafter referred to as ‘United Kingdom’), Mr James Cleverly, launch a new Partnership for Green and Inclusive Growth.
Building on the historic collaboration between our 2 countries, Brazil and the United Kingdom declared their commitment and willingness to address the global climate crisis, promote sustainable development, and foster a just and inclusive ecological transition. They also reiterated the importance of fulfilling the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Partnership will drive strengthened cooperation and dialogue, initially on 5 pillars.
1. Climate
Implementing ambitious NDCs and adaptation strategies, including for the protection of oceans and coastal zones, Net Zero goals and targets, and a COP-to-COP exchange, under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) mandate.
2. Forests
Fostering biodiversity goals, combatting deforestation, tackling illegal gold supply chains, promoting socio-bioeconomy and non-timber products, with a view to promote the rights and engagement of indigenous peoples and local communities.
3. Agriculture
Scaling up sustainable agriculture and supply chains.
4. Energy
Promoting a just and fair energy transition and the decarbonization of industry.
5. Finance
Promoting a just and inclusive economic transition, green finance, carbon markets and other approaches, including results-based payments, in addition to mobilizing new and additional financial resources, including through private investments.
High level government-to-government dialogues will be used to review progress, complemented by political discussions with a broader range of partners from government, subnational entities, academia, private sector and civil society, who have the expertise that is vital to reach green and inclusive growth and climate action.
The Partnership will include collaboration through policy exchange, sharing knowledge and expertise including on science and innovation, financial cooperation, mobilization of new and additional funding, including mobilizing private capital, and industry collaboration, including the opportunity to access up to £4 billion of financial support for sustainable projects from the UK’s export credit agency UK Export Finance.
Both countries are committed to reform of the international financing system. They pledged to work together to mobilize new and additional funding, including through public and private sources. They agreed to further discuss means of implementation, technology transfer, including through trilateral cooperation, and capacity building to tackle urgent challenges, such as food security, climate change, desertification, and biodiversity loss.
Brazil expressed its appreciation for the United Kingdom’s recent pledge to contribute with at least £80 million to the Amazon Fund in support of actions addressing the critical needs identified by Brazil to reduce deforestation, protect biodiversity, and promote sustainable and inclusive development in the Amazon region and other biomes. Brazil reiterated its commitment to strengthen ongoing efforts towards reducing deforestation rates in all biomes, especially in the Amazon.
The United Kingdom highlighted Brazil’s ambition to strengthen the Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Amazon (PPCDAm) and to prepare similar plans for the other biomes in the country. The United Kingdom acknowledged Brazil’s comprehensive technical expertise in relation to world-leading innovative sustainable agriculture, forest cover and deforestation monitoring, particularly through the PRODES system, signalling that Brazil has shown leadership in the past and is doing that again now.
Recognizing that halting and reversing deforestation by 2030 would contribute meaningfully to the effort to mitigate climate change, both sides commit to joining forces in this endeavour.
Beyond its contributions to the Amazon Fund, Brazil and the UK have enjoyed a long-standing fruitful partnership. Following announcements in this visit, the UK´s International Climate Finance (ICF) reached a total commitment of over £350 million since 2016, leveraging a potential of over £500 million in private investments and with an expectation this will continue to grow.
Brazil welcomed the launch of a UK PACT Country Fund to provide technical assistance and knowledge exchange in areas within the partnership, and UK’s support to actions aimed at fostering sociobioeconomy, promoting the engagement, rights and livelihoods of indigenous peoples and local communities, tackling forest degradation, restoring forests and other ecosystems, fostering sustainable agriculture and green finance. Both countries exchanged views on the need of providing business opportunities, employment, and better market access for sustainable products and value chains, with fair and equitable benefit-sharing.
Both countries acknowledged the role of indigenous peoples and local communities as custodians of biodiversity over their lands, territories, resources, and traditional knowledge. Therefore, both countries note the work undertaken at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) General Assembly and the forthcoming diplomatic conference relating to genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge in 2024.
The UK welcomed and confirmed it stands ready to share experience and provide support to Brazil’s G20 Presidency, Clean Energy Ministerial in 2024 and Brazil´s bid to host UNFCCC COP30, should the bid be successful. Ministers also agreed to go beyond the bilateral cooperation and work together to continue to shape and strengthen multi-partner initiatives and regional cooperation.