Republic of Vanuatu

The Republic of Vanuatu is an archipelago located in the South Pacific, northeast of Australia. It has a population of nearly 300,000 people and is a parliamentary republic

Formerly known as New Hebrides, Vanuatu was jointly administered by France and the United Kingdom in the late 19th century. The country gained its independence on July 30, 1980.

The country’s economy is based on subsistence agriculture. Services – particularly tourism – is the main sector, accounting for 65 percent of the GDP in 2019, followed by agriculture (18.3%) and industry (9.5%). The agricultural sector accounts for the majority of exports (76 percent in 2020), in particular products such as kava, copra (dried kernel of the coconut), coconut oil and tuna.

Brazil and Vanuatu maintain diplomatic relations since 1986. In 2005, ambassador Frederico Cézar de Araújo headed Brazil's first official mission to the country. The Brazilian Embassy in Canberra is  responsible for overseeing, cumulatively, the relations with Vanuatu.

In August 2013, on the occasion of the visit of the Director of the Brazilian Cooperation Agency to Vanuatu, Brazil and Vanuatu signed a technical cooperation agreement aimed at fostering projects in agriculture, livestock, forests, fisheries and aquaculture. The agreement has been in force since March 2018. During the mission, the following activities were developed, which  included the visit of technicians from Vanuatu to Brazil: "Training in Vegetable and Rice Production Systems aimed at Food Security"; "Technical Training in Cattle Beef Production Systems aimed at Crop-Livestock-Forest Integration"; and "Training in Good Practices in Fish Handling and Tilapia Cultivation".

Trade exchange between Brazil and Vanuatu is modest. Only in 2019 and in 2021, it exceeded $1 million, almost entirely represented by Brazilian oil exports.

Chronology of bilateral relations

1986 – Establishment of diplomatic relations

2005 – Brazil’s first official mission to Vanuatu

2009 –Vanuatu’s Permanent Representative to the UN visits Brazil

2013 –Technical Cooperation Agreement is signed

2018 - Technical Cooperation Agreement enters into force