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00:00 I'd like to salute President Ramaphosa, President of South Africa.
00:12 I'd also like to give my greetings to the ministers, the NDP President, Comrade Dilma
00:22 Rousseff, also the business people here in attendance, and I'd like to above all salute
00:33 the South African government for hosting this business forum.
00:37 I'd like to also say how pleased I am for sharing this event with the other leaders
00:42 of the BRICS countries.
00:44 I would also like to thank all the business people in attendance, particularly the Business
00:51 Council Board, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
00:56 Establishing partnerships among the private sectors is a very relevant dimension for the
01:01 BRICS, and which gives life and continuity to relations between the countries.
01:08 Since the first summit of heads of state and government, our share in the global economy
01:14 has been increasing.
01:27 We have surpassed the G7 already, accounting for 32% of the world GDP in purchasing power
01:36 and our parity forecasts indicate that emerging and developing markets are the ones that will
01:44 show the highest growth rate in the coming years.
01:52 According to the IMF, while industrialized countries are expected to grow by an average
01:59 of 2.7% in 2022, dropping to 1.4% in 2024, the projected growth for developing countries
02:08 is of 4% for this period.
02:11 This shows that the dynamism of the economies in the global south and the BRICS is its driving
02:19 force.
02:21 Brazil's - the BRICS, international foreign stock, increased 370% between 2029 and 2022,
02:39 and today almost 400 companies from the block operate in Brazil.
02:43 After six years of standing still, Brazil is going to create quality jobs again.
02:50 It's going to fight poverty again and will increase the income of Brazilian families.
02:56 Two weeks ago, I presented the new PAC growth acceleration program.
03:01 The plan provides for resuming suspended projects, accelerating ongoing projects, and also selecting
03:10 new projects.
03:11 It is a comprehensive program with many opportunities that may be of interest of investors from
03:19 BRICS countries.
03:22 We hope to mobilize $340 billion for modernizing our logistics infrastructures with investments
03:31 in motorways, railways, autoways, ports, and airports.
03:36 We will also give priority to the generation of solar and wind power, as well as biomass,
03:43 ethanol, and biodiesel.
03:45 We have immense potential for generating green hydrogen.
03:48 We shall establish partnerships between government and the business community in all areas through
03:53 concessions, public-private partnerships, and direct contracts.
03:59 In order for investment to grow again and drive development, we need to ensure more
04:06 credibility, predictability, and legal certainty, as well as political and social certainty
04:15 for the private sector.
04:17 For this reason, I have advocated the idea of greater financial integration, where we
04:24 could have a new reference unit which would not replace our national currencies.
04:32 The financing needs, the unmet financing needs of developing countries remains high.
04:40 The lack of a substantial reform from traditional financial institutions limits the volume and
04:48 the credit modes offered by existing banks.
04:52 The decision of establishing the New Development Bank represented a milestone in effective
04:59 collaboration among emerging economies.
05:02 A joint bank must be a global leader in the financing of projects that address the most
05:11 pressing challenges of our time.
05:14 By diversifying payment sources in local currencies, increasing its partner network and its membership,
05:24 NDB constitutes a strategic platform to promote cooperation between developing countries.
05:35 In this strategy, engagement with the African Development Bank will be central to this.
05:43 At the multilateral level, the BRICS stood out for being a force that works in favour
05:49 of a fairer, more predictable, equitable global trade.
05:55 We cannot accept a green neocolonialism that imposes trade barriers and discriminatory
06:02 measures under the guise of protecting the environment.
06:07 As of December, Brazil will hold the G20 presidency.
06:12 The presence of three BRICS members in the G20 troika will be a great opportunity for
06:19 us to move forward on issues of interest to the global south.
06:25 We already have South Africa's participation, but the group's representativeness may be
06:32 increased with the entry of the African Union and other countries of the continent.
06:53 It's just a water break.
07:04 I've been talking about developing and then suddenly, you know, I missed the main important
07:10 source of life, water.
07:18 Dear friends, upon taking office as president of my country, again, I am resuming the guidelines
07:26 of Brazilian foreign policy.
07:28 We started to rebuild South American integration.
07:32 We have resumed our partnerships with the US, China and the European Union.
07:37 We hosted the summit of the Amazon countries.
07:41 We still had to return to Africa.
07:45 It is unacceptable that in 2022 Brazil's trade with Africa has dropped by one third when
07:52 compared to 2013, when it was almost $30 billion.
07:58 Trade flow with Africa still corresponds to only 3.5% of Brazil's foreign trade.
08:07 Our trade agreement network is still in its infancy.
08:12 Signing agreements with southern Africa and Egypt date from my second term.
08:18 Today, over 65% of Mercosur exports to Africa went to African countries with which there
08:26 is no agreement in force.
08:28 There is plenty of room to grow.
08:31 In addition to a past that unites us, we also share a common vision of the future.
08:36 In my first two terms, the African continent was a priority for Brazil.
08:42 I have made 12 trips to Africa and have been to 21 countries.
08:47 Brazil is back on the continent where it should never have left.
08:54 Africa has vast opportunities and enormous potential for growth.
09:01 To discuss the relaunch of trade with the continent, Brazil brought together the heads
09:07 of the trade promotion sectors of all our representations in African countries here
09:13 in Johannesburg last June.
09:17 Africa is building an ambitious free trade zone project with 54 countries, 1.3 billion
09:27 people with over $3 trillion in GDP in this continent, which is the youngest in the world
09:35 and from an age perspective and will be the most popular by 2100, offers countless opportunities
09:42 for Brazilian products such as food and beverages, oil, iron, or vehicles in iron and steel manufacturers.
09:50 Africa has 65% of the arable land available in the world and it has a strong vocation
09:58 for being an agricultural powerhouse with the capacity to feed its people and offer
10:03 global food security solutions.
10:07 Combining investment and technology, Brazil has developed modern tropical agricultural
10:13 techniques that can be successfully replicated in Africa through the Brazilian Agricultural
10:19 Research Corporation.
10:21 We have turned the Cerrado into an area of high agricultural productivity and we can
10:27 replicate this experience in the African savannah.
10:34 Government has also resumed public policies to support family farming, essential to fight
10:40 food insecurity and hunger that affects our continent.
10:47 The More Food Programme, which I relaunched last June, allows small farmers to have access
10:54 to financing to purchase tractors, tools and harvesters.
11:00 As in the past, a version of the More Food Programme for food should be resumed as another
11:06 aspect of Brazilian self-cooperation.
11:17 Africa is also at the heart of the digital and energy transitions.
11:27 Internet coverage already reaches most of the African population and digital innovation
11:36 centres and financial technology services companies are multiplying, strengthening the
11:42 Brazilian health complex, strengthening mainly to ample opportunities for cooperation with
11:49 South America.
11:50 The African continent has important oil reserves such as essential oil, such as lithium, that
12:00 will play a strategic role.
12:02 So that we do not remain as exporters of primary products, we must make the most of this opportunity
12:08 to forge an integration of our production chains and add value to the goods and services
12:14 that we produce in a sustainable manner.
12:17 Africa is the region of the world that emits the least amount of greenhouse gases.
12:23 However, this does not mean that it does not have to face the most perverse consequences
12:28 of global warming, such as droughts, floods, fires and cyclones.
12:35 Brazil and many African countries have comprehensive plans to renew their energy mixes.
12:43 We share the responsibility of caring for tropical rainforests and preserving biodiversity.
12:50 We share the common concern of fighting the desertification process.
12:58 Environmental and ecosystem services provided by rainforests to the world, they must be
13:04 paid for in a fair and equitable manner.
13:09 Social diversity products can generate jobs and income and offer alternatives to the predatory
13:16 exploitation of natural resources.
13:25 These are the pillars of the ecological transition plan that we will launch soon.
13:32 For our economic and productive integration to flourish, it will be necessary to increase
13:37 sea and air connections between the two sides of the Atlantic.
13:41 It is inexplicable that we do not have direct flights between Sao Paulo and Johannesburg,
13:47 Cairo or Dakar, essential for increasing the flow of people, trade and tourism.
13:54 Therefore, I believe it to be very important the proposal made by the British Business
14:01 Council of establishing a multilateral agreement of air services for the group with the main
14:07 national transport and aviation authorities from the countries.
14:12 Very relevant proposal because the BRICS have a unique chance of shaping the global development
14:18 path.
14:19 You, business people, you're part of this effort.
14:23 Together our countries make up a third of the global economy.
14:28 This relevance will grow with the admission of new full members and dialogue partners.
14:36 Collaboration between the public and private sector is vital for harnessing this potential
14:43 and achieving lasting results.
14:47 Thank you very much and good luck.
14:49 [APPLAUSE]