The new President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has taken fatal decisions, hardly ever in office. First he transferred responsibility for the protected areas of the indigenous communities from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Agriculture – to the delight of the agricultural companies.
In addition, in Tereza Cristina, he has appointed a lobbyist as Minister of Agriculture who has little interest in environmental protection. As if that were not worrying enough, Bolsonaro also wants to withdraw from the Paris Climate Protection Agreement. All this does not bode well.
Binding sustainability criteria for Mercosur
SWISSAID is concerned about developments in Brazil and is calling on the Swiss government to raise the importance of the climate agreement at the WEF and to stand up for human rights in Brazil.
Switzerland is currently negotiating a free trade agreement with the Mercosur states (including Brazil). In view of the latest political developments, binding sustainability criteria, as demanded by SWISSAID, are more important than ever.
