Brazil emerges as the Amazon calls us
5 June 2025
It was more than a great pleasure to return to Brazil last week, 13 years since I first visited to host a renewable energy meeting in Rio de Janeiro involving Australian Prime Minister, Hon. Julia Gillard. This powerhouse Latin American nation has fully emerged on the world stage and demands to be taken seriously, in its own right and as a leading voice of the global South.
Against expectations, Brazil is developing a clever and cohesive plan for its hosting of the annual global conference on climate change, known as COP30, to be held this November. The good news is that Brazil’s plans dovetail beautifully with our Global Project strategy, for ‘Shaping Global Governance, Climate and Nature’.
In other words, over and above the increasing perception that these annual intergovernmental meetings on climate change have become unwieldy talkfests, Brazil is focussing on implementation and action, including legacy actions that will benefit Brazil, but also enduring global actions as well. The best news about this is that Brazil has a clearly defined plan for strong private sector involvement and leadership, working in tandem with government. To this end, peak business bodies and the Brazilian Government have established entities to coordinate the various national efforts, to demonstrate achievements and commitments to action on climate change and the preservation of nature.
Brazil cares very much that this momentum is carried forward internationally, and sees the Global Foundation as a helpful bridge in this regard, including with Australia and the Pacific Islands as the likely host of the next official global climate change talks, COP31, in 2026.
At the heart of Brazil’s story is the Amazon, where we will convene our major global roundtable meeting for the year in August, to be hosted by our Key Partner, Brazilian miner, Vale.
The Amazon, the lungs of the world, means not only everything to Brazil and surrounding nations, but also to the whole planet. As goes – or stays – the Amazon, so is the whole of humanity impacted.
Foundation Secretary General, Steve Howard meeting with H.E Geraldo Alckmin, Vice President of Brazil.
My visit to Brazil was hosted by Vale and enabled me to meet with an impressive array of Brazilian leaders from all sections of society, including the Vice President of Brazil, chief executives of major companies, the chairs of peak business and international relations entities, the Australian Ambassador to Brazil and also the very influential President of the Pontifical University of Rio de Janeiro – all of whom have committed to attend our Carajás Roundtable meeting to be held in the Amazon from 12-15 August 2025. They will be joined by our leadership group, and other international invitees of the Global Foundation.
Steve Howard
Secretary General of the Global Foundation