As Brazil assumes the presidency of G-20, it is pivotal to understand what it means for the world and the thriving Global South. Brazil is an aspiring candidate for a permanent seat in the UNSC, and it is quite evident from its various agreements with countries across the world.
Brazil and India
Major agreements between India and Brazil are the Agreement on Cooperation in the Fields of Science and Technology (1985), the Agreement on Cooperation in Defence-related Issues (2003), the Framework Agreement on Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (2004) and the Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation on Agriculture and Related Sectors (2008).
The Joint Committee on Political, Economic, Scientific, Technological, and Cultural Cooperation and the political consultation meetings are the main mechanisms for coordinating bilateral relations. There are also thematic committees, such as defense, science and Technology, and the trade monitoring mechanism.
In India’s ITEC Programme about 55 Brazilians have gone to India under the ITEC program for training in communications, management, defense, etc. in the last seven years.
ITEC is Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation. This program focuses on innovative technological cooperation with India and other countries as partners. It covers six areas of innovation like Consultancy services, study tours, etc.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil has 55 science, technology, and innovation sections (SECTECs) in its missions abroad that work towards exploiting cooperation opportunities and promoting the potential of the Brazilian science, technology, and innovation system. This initiative can be another dig at Brazil and India’s cooperation.
StartOut Brasil
This is a government program to support Brazilian startups. Startup culture is something that the Indian government hinges on.
One of Brazil's start-up companies works with agriculture technology and financial services and technology to give Brazilian small and medium-sized farmers an easy and sustainable way to access credit. This is done to induce them to invest to achieve greater productivity.
Innovation Diplomacy Program (PDI) of Brazil
The PDI is aimed at bringing together actions to promote technology abroad, in line with the National Innovation Policy as Brazil is interested in being listed as an innovative nation.
The program also includes activities aimed at raising Brazil's profile in foreign innovation ecosystems like identifying partnerships in the scientific field, attracting the internationalization of startups, and collaborating on domestic and foreign technologies to produce better results.
When analyzing the 2022 PDI across technological areas: 65% of the activities are multisectoral; 5% are carried out in the aggrotech area; 4% in the area of health tech/biotechnology; and 4% in the area of fintech.
As for the types of activities covered: 25% represent technology seminars/webinars with an emphasis on business and research; 11% are trade fairs, and 11% involve the mobilization of the Brazilian Science, Technology, and Innovation diaspora abroad.
In terms of geographical distribution 38% of activities will be undertaken in Europe, 28% in Asia, 21% in North America, 5% in Africa, 4% in South America and 4% in Oceania.
SDGs and Brazil
At the global level, the main follow-up mechanism is the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), created at the Rio + 20 to succeed the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development.
The HLPF offers to provide policy leadership along with guidance and recommendations to follow the implementation of SDGs. Brazil created the Department for Agribusiness Promotion which is its development towards achieving SDGs.
Brazilian Cooperation Abroad (South-South Cooperation - SSC)
South-South cooperation is one of the major agendas of G-20. Developing nations like Africa and India stand by each other for the same.
ABC (Brazilian Cooperation Agency)- has a record of nearly 3,000 SSC projects in at least 108 countries with the participation of more than 120 Brazilian institutions, public and private alike.
The Agency also operates with developed countries. In this case, a trilateral cooperation is offered, through which the resources of a developed partner are combined with the Brazilian experience for a joint application in a partner developing country. institutions.
The Ibero-American Summits
The African Union is a key factor in Brazilian foreign policy for it is an indispensable forum to discuss and launch initiatives in many areas, including politics, economy, agriculture, and social development. The opening of the Brazilian Embassy in Adis Abeba, Ethiopia reflected Brazil’s interest in the activities of the organization.
Brazil and China
Brazil-China Cooperation Fund for the Expansion of Productive Capacity- Brazil is one such country – not officially a BRI member country but in essence one of the largest recipients of Chinese infrastructure funding in South America.
1st Brazil-China Forum on Biotechnology, Agriculture, and Sustainability concluded that the two countries are aligned in the vision of sustainability, technology, and innovation as drivers of agricultural production.
Brazil and China have a complementary and beneficial partnership in agriculture. The field of agricultural biotechnology presents opportunities to intensify bilateral cooperation in agriculture. The Brazilian planted forest industry can have an important impact in reducing China's carbon emissions through cooperation in the fields of bioeconomy and circular economy.
Brazil and its plurilateral projects across the world can bring a lot to the table as a G-20 president.
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