In Davos, Leite participates in a lunch with investors and meets with world leaders

On the second day of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Governor Eduardo Leite participated in a lunch meeting promoted with national and international investors by Itaú Unibanco and spoke about the political and economic scenarios in Rio Grande do Sul and Brazil. Earlier, during the morning, he met with international authorities to address issues of global interest, such as the environmental agenda.

“The forum is a hub for us to establish connections between governments and the private sector, especially in relation to the responsibilities we share, including caring for the planet and its environmental, climate, political and social relationships. These issues are common among nations, and the forum also allows us to present the investment opportunities that we have in Rio Grande do Sul”, explained Leite.

During the lunch meeting, the governor answered a series of questions about the political, economic and social environments in the country. Leite highlighted the measures that the state government has been adopting to reduce inequality, fight poverty, reduce crime, modernize the public machine and induce economic and social development.

“Rio Grande do Sul had a very significant change in the business environment from the reforms and restructuring of the public machine that the government promoted. We have structuring programs, such as RS Seguro, Devolve ICMS and Descomplica RS, among others, which are a reference and help us to show how the State has changed and is more attractive to private investments”, detailed the governor.

One of Leite’s priorities on the official trip is to present the opportunities related to the energy sector in the State. The government’s objective is to facilitate the implementation of a green hydrogen plant in the state.

Amidst the panels, lectures and hearings of the World Economic Forum, Governor Eduardo Leite met with the Special Envoy for the United States Climate, John Kerry, and Undersecretary Rick Duke. Among other topics, they talked about how the US can support Brazil in the fight against deforestation in the Amazon.

“We talked about the need for technical and technological support in order to make inspection and police power more efficient to reach those responsible for cutting down forests. We also made progress in conversations about agricultural production, a special characteristic of Rio Grande do Sul in terms of climate challenges, since most of the emission of greenhouse gases in the state is related to land use”, said Leite.

One of the possibilities discussed is that of establishing partnerships for sustainable agricultural production and the improvement of pasture management techniques that move towards neutralizing the carbon emitted by rural activities.

The governor also spoke with the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, one of the first world leaders to publicly address the fact that he is gay. At the meeting, Leite and Bettel spoke about the challenges of democracy and the importance of representing minorities in public office.