Notícias
Statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs on the occasion of the G20 Ministerial Meeting – Third Session – "Cooperation with Africa" – Bonn, 17 February, 2017
We support the G20´s focus on cooperation with Africa, as there can be no truly global prosperity without further integration of Africa with the global economy.
Brazil has deep ties with the African continent in various fields. More than 50% of our population has African blood.
It is, therefore, a long standing tradition for Brazilian foreign policy to maintain with African countries a significant technical and economic cooperation, focusing on development, education and health.
It is time, however, for a new approach, that not only emphasizes our joint heritage, but also takes into account the impressive growth rates of Africa in recent years as a basis to build new partnerships for the future.
As our colleague from South Africa rightly stressed in yesterday’s meeting, “today, Africa means opportunity”.
Brazil has developed modern agricultural technologies for tropical countries. We are ready to share them with our friends and partners in Africa. This requires a more intense and focused technological cooperation between our research institutions and more joint-ventures between our companies.
We have already had a few positive and encouraging experiences in this area, such as cotton production, sugar cane plantations as well as sugar or ethanol mill plants. In some cases we may need additional financing. In other cases, businessmen on both sides may need to realize the potential of such partnerships.
Last October the Agricultural Innovation Marketplace, MKTPlace, an international technical cooperation initiative coordinated by the Brazilian research corporation, Embrapa, was selected by the United Nations as one of the world's 15 most successful technical cooperation agencies among emerging countries.
This project has benefited 13 African countries since 2010 in the field of tropical agriculture, including the exchange of genotypes, the training of people and the development of products and services.
Education is also one of the main domains of cooperation. From 2000 to 2016, 77% out of the 8.000 students selected for undergraduate studies in Brazil were Africans. The main Brazilian institution for professional training in industry, SENAI, operates in 4 African countries.
We have also been successfully exchanging experiences in the field of public health. Brazilian institutions have supported African countries in strengthening their public health systems, in increasing the access to basic medicines and in establishing human milk banks.
Brazil is ready to keep promoting and, if possible, expanding its active and constructive cooperation with African countries, along the lines of G20 recommendations for the development and prosperity in the continent.
Thank you
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