COP28: Brazil will have 12 ministers and a 400 m2 stand – 11/25/2023 – Environment

In addition to an extensive delegation, made up of congressmen, members of civil society, businesspeople and researchers, the first echelon of the federal government must have a massive presence at COP28, the UN (United Nations) climate conference, which begins this Thursday (30), in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

At least 12 ministers must participate: Marina Silva (Environment), Mauro Vieira (Foreign Affairs), Fernando Haddad (Finance), Alexandre Silveira (Mines and Energy), Rui Costa (Civil House), Sônia Guajajara (Indigenous Peoples), Luciana Santos (Science, Technology and Innovation), Carlos Fávaro (Agriculture and Livestock), Paulo Teixeira (Agrarian Development and Family Farming), Jader Filho (Cities), Celso Sabino (Tourism) and Cida Gonçalves (Women).

President Lula (PT) must be in Dubai from November 30th to December 3rd. Official agendas are scheduled for December 1st and 2nd, when he will participate in the summit of world leaders and bilateral meetings at COP28.

This will be Lula’s first international trip after having hip surgery at the end of September. Before the United Arab Emirates, the PT member will pass through Qatar and, following his participation in the climate conference, he will head to Germany.

According to Itamaraty, 2,400 people signed up to be part of the Brazilian delegation, a record number of interested parties. Of this total, around 400 are members of the government. This is not yet the final number of participants, as not all are confirmed, and the official list has not yet been released.

For Itamaraty, the size of the Brazilian delegation demonstrates that the topic is sensitive to various sectors of society.

“I think it is a wonderful sign that our delegation is very large, because it demonstrates that there is enormous attention in Brazil, in the most diverse areas, and a great desire to attend the most advanced debate there is on this topic”, said ambassador André Corrêa do Lago at a press event last week.

According to the COP organization, the conference is expected to bring together more than 70,000 people from around the world, including heads of state, businesspeople, academics and activists. Following the trend of recent editions, there should be a record presence of oil company lobbyists, which has been the target of criticism from environmentalists.

The Brazilian pavilion (as the national stands are called) will be one of the largest among the countries present, with 400 m² spread over two floors. A program of 120 events is planned, divided into two auditoriums.

Topics such as climate financing, carbon markets, forests, bioeconomy, waste management, food security and energy transition will be covered.

Most of the discussion tables, around 80, will be coordinated by official bodies or those linked to the government, such as ministries and Apex (Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency). The agenda also includes approximately 30 panels organized by NGOs and another 20 by industry and agribusiness leaders.

The presence of companies in segments with high environmental impact, such as Petrobras, Braskem, Syngenta and Vale, is the target of criticism from environmentalists.

According to the MMA (Ministry of Environment and Climate Change), those chosen to exhibit at the Brazil Pavilion were selected from 699 proposals for panels and cultural exhibitions by a thematic committee that brings together representatives from the federal government, subnational governments, the private sector and of civil society.

This year, there will be no Brazil Climate Action Hub, a stand that civil society organizations created in 2019, when the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government decided that it would not take a Brazilian pavilion to the COP.

From the beginning, the former president’s government also failed to include environmental NGOs, researchers, indigenous organizations and social movements in the Brazilian delegation.

In 2023, NGOs accepted the Lula government’s invitation for their agendas to be part of the official pavilion. The consortium of governors of the Legal Amazon states will, as in 2022, have its own stand, called Hub Amazônia, measuring 100 m².