9 March 2006
The Brazilian President and the PM issued a joint statement on a range of issues following talks in Downing Street.
Parts of this transcript may have been edited
Read the statement in full:
State Visit To The United Kingdom
By The President Of The Federative Republic Of Brazil
Joint Statement By President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva And Prime Minister Tony Blair
London, 9 March 2006
The State Visit of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva highlights the increasingly close friendship between Brazil and the United Kingdom. Our relationship is based on shared values: the crucial importance of democracy and the rule of law; the promotion of economic growth through trade liberalisation; determination to tackle poverty, injustice and exclusion; and recognition of the link between development and peace, security, human rights and social justice.
We want to see a deeper and more comprehensive partnership between Brazil and the UK on bilateral, regional and global issues. The State Visit is a valuable opportunity to intensify our co-operation across a range of key areas:
Strengthening the international system
We need to make multilateral institutions more representative and efficient. Tony Blair sees Brazil as a key Emerging Power and re-affirms UK support for Brazil’s bid for Permanent Membership on an enlarged United Nations Security Council; this would be a significant step in the progressive integration of Brazil and other relevant states into the structures of global governance. President Lula’s presence at the G8 Summit at Gleneagles was important in this respect. We commit ourselves to pursuing the dialogue and co-operation established there, including on climate change, development and Africa. President Lula expresses Brazil’s appreciation for the UK role in support of improved global governance.
The WTO Doha Development Round is a crucial opportunity to boost global prosperity and lift many out of poverty. It must not be wasted. We will continue to work together for a successful conclusion to negotiations in 2006 and have issued a separate Joint Statement today on Trade.
E fforts towards regional integration in South America, such as Mercosul and the South American Community of Nations (CASA), are important for promoting prosperity and stability. We also look forward to the signing of an EU-Mercosul Association Agreement.
Fighting global poverty, inequality and exclusion
Addressing the plight of the world’s poor and excluded is an urgent priority that we both share. We recognise the importance of the Millennium Development Goals and will work together to achieve them. Tony Blair admires President Lula’s personal leadership of international efforts to tackle global poverty and inequality.
We want to improve the effectiveness of the multilateral system in financing development, including by increasing the funds available to poor countries through the International Finance Facility (IFF). The International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm) will make a valuable contribution by applying new financing mechanisms to meet the global demand for immunisation. The UK is providing 35% of the resources required to fund a $4 billion IFFIm, which will support efforts to tackle preventable diseases in the poorest countries in the world. It is estimated that the IFFIm resources will save a total of 10 million lives, including 5 million children, before 2015. Tony Blair welcomes President Lula’s pledge of US$ 20m to IFFIm and reiterates his support for further innovative mechanisms to finance development.
The fight against HIV/AIDS is crucial to poverty reduction. President Lula welcomes the UK’s financial and technical support amounting to £1.1m for the International Centre for Technical Co-operation on HIV/AIDS in Brazil.
To increase co-operation on tackling discrimination and exclusion, we are pleased to announce an exchange programme between the UK’s Commission for Racial Equality and Brazil’s Special Secretariat for Racial Equality.
Working together on sustainable development and climate change
Sustainable development is one of the 21st Century’s greatest challenges. We are committed to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol. We will co-operate closely on climate change and energy issues, including in the context of the Gleneagles Dialogue on Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development. We are intensifying our co-operation by the establishment of a High Level Dialogue on Sustainable Development and a Working Group on Climate Change.
Tony Blair congratulates President Lula for hosting the Eighth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Third Meeting of the Parties of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in March this year. We emphasise our commitment to co-operate, in accordance with national and international law, to ensure that patents and other intellectual property rights are supportive of, and do not run counter to, the sustainable use of biodiversity andthe principles of the Convention on Biological Diversity. We stress the links between biodiversity and poverty alleviation; reaffirm our commitment to combat the illegal trafficking or appropriation of wild fauna and flora or biological and genetic resources; and pledge to work together to promote co-operation and support measures on sustainable forest management and law enforcement.
The Montreal agreement to strengthen the Clean Development Mechanism was an important step forward. We want to enhance links between UK investors, Brazilian project developers and financial institutions in this field. The UK Climate Change Projects Office Trade Mission to Brazil is a welcome initiative in our joint efforts to promote the emerging carbon market.
Co-operating on science & technology
Our two countries have much to gain from expanding co-operation in the fields of science, technology and innovation. The partnership is growing: for example we are working to encourage and facilitate the involvement of Brazilian scientists in research being undertaken by the Joint European Torus (JET) laboratory in the context of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project.
We acknowledge the fundamental role of Science, Technology and Innovation in shaping sustainable development, eradicating poverty, promoting social inclusion and improving quality of life. We welcome the Plan of Action signed during the State Visit, which will enable joint research in areas such as biotechnology, nanotechnology and medicine research and production. A "Brazil Day" for scientists from both countries will be hosted by the Royal Society in May 2006, and 2007 will be the ‘Year of UK-Brazil Partnership in Science’.
We note the importance of the current joint study of the global potential of bioethanol production from sugar cane. Brazil is a world leader in bioethanol production and use. We agree that spreading these technologies to developing countries, in particular in Africa and the Caribbean, could significantly contribute to poverty alleviation; assist in slowing climate change; and help to develop a global market for bioethanol.
Working for closer economic & trade links
Tony Blair congratulates President Lula on the continuing success of Brazil’s macro-economic policies, and on the early re-payment of Brazil’s remaining debt to the IMF. We recognise the importance of links between economic stability, development and investment, and the need for continual economic reform to achieve sustained growth in a globalised world.
Important British investments in Brazil in the fields of innovative vaccine production and iron ore mining are being discussed. A valuable partnership is also being developed between our Health Ministries in the area of blood products. We welcome the agreement on closer co-operation between our leading industry organisations, and the meetings between business leaders from both countries during the State Visit. To maximise the potential for closer economic and commercial links, we will establish a Joint Economic and Trade Committee between our Governments.
Collaborating on education
We want to see a further expansion of the educational links between Brazil and the UK. We welcome the signing of an MOU on Education. We are committed to a programme of bilateral and international collaboration, through annually agreed action plans.
We note with satisfaction the first elements of this collaboration: continuing Brazilian support for the Centre for Brazilian Studies in Oxford; the establishment of Rio Branco Professorships in International Relations and New Educational Technologies at the Universities of Oxford and London respectively; the new UK-Brazil Educational Research Centre at London University’s Institute of Education; a new partnership between the Open Universities in each country; three UK/Brazil/South Africa Seminars on Social Inclusion through Education; and agreement to work more closely in supporting the financing of education in low income countries.
Renewed Dialogue on Defence
We have agreed to hold renewed annual Defence Staff talks, under the existing MOU on Defence Co-operation, to complement our existing high-level political and economic consultations.
Bringing our peoples together
We value the increase in contacts between our peoples for business, education and tourism. The recent agreement to double the frequency of air services between our countries will help to improve links between our countries. In particular, Tony Blair welcomes the UK’s expanding Brazilian community, which contributes significantly to a vibrant multicultural society.
We note with satisfaction the signing of an MOU on Healthcare and the organisation of a Creative Industries Seminar and signing of a Creative Industries agreement, which will lead to increased engagement in these areas.
We are pleased with the positive results of the State Visit. We believe that they will help to deepen and diversify the partnership between Brazil and the UK. We reaffirm our friendship, and our commitment to work together for a more secure, prosperous and just world.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva repeats his gratitude for the kind invitation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and for the hospitality of the British Government and the British people during his stay in the United Kingdom.
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