Government hopes to confirm US donation to the Amazon Fund with Kerry visit

The visit of the United States special advisor to Brazil, John Kerry, this week, is seen by the Brazilian government as decisive in confirming the country’s participation in financing the Amazon Fund, a commitment signed by Joe Biden during the visit of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to the country at the beginning of the month.

Kerry arrived in Brasília early on Sunday (26) and will have an intense agenda of meetings with government ministers throughout this Monday (27). At the end of the morning, he meets with Marina Silva, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change; Geraldo Alckmin, Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services; and Maria Laura da Rocha, deputy minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“They will discuss opportunities for Brazil and the US to collaborate in combating the climate crisis, curbing and reversing deforestation, advancing the transition to clean energy and building a strong bioeconomy,” the US Embassy said in a press release.

Still accompanied by minister Marina Silva, Kerry will attend a lunch at the Itamaraty Palace and a dinner at the US Embassy. Other commitments throughout the day were not confirmed by US diplomacy, and there is no forecast for a private meeting with President Lula.

Meetings and meetings are also part of the first moves towards a possible visit by Joe Biden to Brazil, according to ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley. “It will pave the way for a future visit by President Biden to Brazil, an invitation he accepted from President Lula,” she said.

Visit may confirm US participation in the Amazon Fund

During Lula’s visit to the United States earlier this month, Joe Biden pledged to “work with Congress to provide funds for programs to protect and conserve the Brazilian Amazon, including initial support for the Amazon Fund.” However, the US president did not confirm the amount to be contributed to the fund.

People close to the president told the newspaper O Globo and BBC Brasil that the initial amount would be US$ 50 million (R$ 260 million). The expectation is that the meetings with Marina Silva and Geraldo Alckmin will confirm this value.

In addition to the donation to the Amazon Fund, the United States government stated that there will be a reinforcement in the actions of the United States-Brazil Working Group on Climate Change (CCWG), created in 2015.

“They decided to instruct the CCWG to convene as early as possible to discuss areas of cooperation such as combating deforestation and degradation, improving the bioeconomy, strengthening clean energy deployment, strengthening adaptation actions, and promoting low-carbon agricultural practices. ”, reads a White House statement issued on the day of the visit.

John Kerry will stay in Brazil until Tuesday (28th), and then travel to Panama, between the 1st and 3rd of March, and to the US city of Houston, between the 6th and 7th.