Uachtarán na hÉireann, President Michael D. Higgins this morning met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Mauro Vieira, on a courtesy call at Áras an Uachtaráin.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Brazil in 1975, and Minister Vieira’s visit is the highest level inward engagement by a Brazilian politician to Ireland in that time.
The visit is particularly timely as Brazil this year hold the presidency of BRICS and will also host COP30 in Belém in November. These major events follow Brazil’s recent presidency of the G20 in 2023 and 2024.
President Higgins has a strong personal connection with Brazil and made an Official Visit to the country in 2012, where he met with current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and then President Dilma Rousseff.
The President has had further meetings with President Lula at the UN General Assembly in New York in September of last year, and at the coronation of King Charles in London in May 2023.
In a statement following this morning’s meeting, President Higgins said:
I very much welcome the opportunity of meeting with Foreign Minster Vieira today and of expressing my support as President of Ireland for the vital work which President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his Government are doing, in extremely challenging conditions, in support of multilateralism, and in particular in support of the internationally agreed measures to deal with the impact of climate change and the issues of justice for future generations in relation to the environment.
I very much treasure the meetings which I have had with President Lula over the years. During my Official Visit to Brazil in 2012 when I met with then President Dilma Rousseff, I had special meetings with President Lula. I had more recent opportunities to share brief meetings with him last year at the United Nations General Assembly and in 2023 at the coronation of King Charles.
I strongly admire President Lula’s courage in taking on the challenges of global and intergovernmental responsibility. For those who believe in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and sustainable development, globally and within Europe, he is the best ally which they have internationally in achieving these goals.I commend Brazil on the strong focus placed on sustainable development during its Presidency of the G20 and I am very pleased that Ireland has joined the Global Alliance Against Poverty and Hunger established by President Lula.
The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation represents one of the most positive voices with regard to the long view of climate change. Under grave difficulties, they are seeking to fight against the speculative money funding illegal logging and the thousands involved in lobbying for fossil fuel conglomerates. President Lula and Brazil should be given support by all those who believe in the importance of reversing the perilous position into which the future of all forms of life on the planet have been plunged.
At COP30 in Belém in Brazil in November, a city with which Ireland has a connection through the work of Roger Casement, there needs to be an effective alliance to resist the domination of COP by lobbyists on behalf of oil and logging.
It is also important that the recognition and presence of indigenous people, whom Brazil and President Lula wants to get appropriate recognition and centrality, should not be reduced to being a sideshow of COP30. The support of Ireland and those EU member states who share our perspective will be vital in achieving this.”
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