Brazil revises its stance on UN food trade liberalization and prioritizes food security

Brazil has revised its stance on international food trade liberalization and state involvement in food security at the United Nations (UN), setting prerequisites for food sector trade liberalization, as reported by Agencia Brasil.

This position shift was communicated at the recent UN Food Systems Summit in Rome, attended by numerous global leaders and ministerial delegations.

The updated document modifies Brazil’s previous stance put forth in the 2021 summit, which advocated for global market liberalization to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by 2030.

Brazil now asserts the importance of aligning international trade discussions with food and nutrition security enhancement. The new proposal acknowledges the significance of international trade in maintaining food supply balance between nations.

Still, it insists that trade talks should uphold the interests of family farmers and the diversity of Brazil’s food systems, thereby setting conditions for trade liberalization.

The policy adjustment emphasizes that liberalization should go hand in hand with support for family farming, ensuring their fair participation in both national and international markets.

This updated stance was submitted to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, superseding the earlier document presented by the previous administration’s Agriculture Minister, Tereza Cristina.

Fernanda Machiaveli, the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture executive secretary, who led Brazil’s delegation, argued that this revised approach reflects the current government’s goal for healthier, more sustainable, and inclusive food systems.

The revised document also includes strengthening national governance as a key national strategy, making it the state’s duty to ensure the right to adequate food.

The Brazilian government cites rising global hunger levels and the recent increase in international food and input prices as reasons for ensuring government action to improve food security through public policies.