Notícias
Letter from the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil to the Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Palácio do Planalto, 25 January 2022
Dear Mr. Cormann,
I acknowledge with satisfaction your letter communicating the OECD Council Decision to open accession discussions with Brazil on the basis of the 2017 Framework for Consideration of Prospective Members, including the four key criteria in the 2004 Noboru Report, namely like-mindedness, significant player, mutual benefit and global considerations.
Without any hesitation, I can assure you that Brazil is ready to initiate the OECD accession process, as requested in April 2017. In that sense, I confirm, on behalf of our Government, our willingness to work with OECD members throughout this process to achieve convergence to OECD standards and practices, in light of our adherence to the shared values, principles and priorities expressed in the 60th Anniversary New Vision Statement and the 2021 Ministerial Council Statement.
Brazil has a history of respect for core values such as the preservation of individual liberty, the values of democracy, the rule of law and the defense of human rights. Over the years, solid institutions have been developed to ensure long-lasting observance of those values. We were one of the original proponents of the Sustainable Development Goals and participated actively in building Agenda 2030. There is no doubt that Brazil shares OECD’s goal to support sustainable economic growth, end poverty and leave no one behind as well as to protect our environment and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, inside and outside the OECD, as outlined in the OECD Convention. We have also been actively working with OECD on digital issues, certain of the importance of advancing an inclusive digital economy.
Brazil has consistently shown its commitment to working closely with the OECD. We have already adhered to 103 of the 251 OECD instruments, conducted numerous peer reviews, and are close to the conclusion of the process of adherence to the Codes of Liberalization. We have also been formally participating in more than 30 Committees within the organization.
In the environmental area, specifically, we have consistently shown our commitment to the goals of the Paris Agreement, not least at the recent COP26, when we joined other nations in the goal of achieving global net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 through deep emissions reductions enabled by public and private investments. In this context, Brazil is committed to adopting and fully implementing public policies in line with its climate goals, taking effective actions to translate this objective on the ground, including “working collectively to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 while delivering sustainable development and promoting an inclusive rural transformation”, as provided for in the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests and Land Use, which Brazil undersigned.
With the ongoing Program for Investment Partnerships and one of the biggest portfolios of sustainable infrastructure projects, including fast growing renewable energy generation capacity, Brazil has also demonstrated the importance of investing in quality infrastructure in a transparent, accountable, and inclusive way.
As a founder of GATT and WTO, time and again, Brazil has demonstrated its commitment to open, competitive, sustainable and transparent market economies; recent economic reforms are a very clear indicator of the direction in which we want to move. Brazil is a staunch defender of the rules-based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its center, and promotes the levelling of the international playing field through increased competition, better integration of SMEs into global value chains and the dismantlement of unnecessary barriers to international trade, which benefits consumers and promotes economic growth and innovation.
I can also assure you that bilateral issues of relevance to the demonstration of our convergence to OECD values and practices will be properly addressed, in the framework of full respect of the rule of law and due process that characterizes Brazilian administrative and judicial procedures.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, as representative of the Federative Republic of Brazil, will proceed in performing all acts relative to the accession, in line with the Vienna Convention. We will do so in coordination with the Casa Civil and other Ministries, as well as with all relevant partners in the process. We will also prioritize the use of diplomatic channels built through our permanent delegate to the OECD, in order to ensure swift and smooth progress in the next stages of the process.
I thank you for all your efforts in moving this dossier forward, and I have confidence that upon the aforementioned assertions, OECD members will now be able to proceed under your leadership with the preparation of the Accession Roadmap for Brazil, setting out the terms, conditions and process for accession.
JAIR BOLSONARO
President of the Federative Republic of Brazil