In Ethiopia, Lula calls for climate change mitigation resources

Following a two-day official visit to Egypt, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is now in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, continuing his tour of Africa to strengthen Brazil's relationship with the continent. Lula arrived in the city on Thursday evening (Feb. 15) and will stay until Sunday (18). The president's main objective is to expand partnerships through a common pro-Global South agenda and to demand the financial aid promised to countries already suffering the effects of climate change.

The term "Global South" refers to poor or emerging countries primarily located in the southern hemisphere of the planet. In the Ethiopian capital, Lula will also participate as a special guest in the summit of the African Union, an organization representing the approximately 50 states of the continent, with its headquarters in Addis Ababa.

Transition

One of the trip's strategic actions is the Brazilian president's participation in the event "Climate Finance for Agriculture and Food Security: Implementation of the Nairobi Declaration and Results of COP28."

The Nairobi Declaration was the final document signed during the 2023 African Climate Summit in the Kenyan capital. African leaders pledged to invest $30 billion a year by 2030 to bridge the financing gap in water security.

In the same declaration, countries called on the international community to fulfill the commitment made at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP28, held last year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to invest $100 billion a year in climate finance, i.e., in actions to ensure energy transition and other measures to mitigate and adapt to the planet's climate change.

This Friday's event in Addis Ababa is organized by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Ugandan government. In addition to Lula, the heads of state of Angola, Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Mozambique, and Uganda, heads of non-governmental and civil society organizations, Regional Economic Communities, farmers' organizations, indigenous peoples, and academic institutions will take part.

"At this Friday's meeting, leaders will discuss and call for action on financial avenues, as well as policy interventions, innovation, and knowledge to improve climate resilience and adaptation in agricultural and food systems in Africa," the Planalto presidential palace said in an official statement.

Official agenda

Lula's engagements in Ethiopia began with a floral offering ceremony in honor of the fallen heroes in the Battle of Adwa, which took place in March 1896 between Ethiopia and Italy. The president then visited the Adwa Memorial Museum.

Brazil and Ethiopia have bilateral cooperation programs in areas such as acid soil management and cotton production. In partnership with the World Food Program (WFP), they cooperate in the area of school feeding.

In 2023, according to official data from the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, bilateral trade totaled $23.8 million, which, in Brazil's assessment, still has "ample potential for growth in flows."

African Union

Lula's participation in the African Union summit on Saturday (17) takes place as the African entity becomes an official member of the G20 this year, with Brazil's support. Chaired by Brazil in 2024, the G20 brings together the 19 largest economies on the planet, as well as the European Union and now the African Union. At the end of the year, Rio de Janeiro will host the G20 summit.

The invitation to the African Union summit, according to the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, can be interpreted as a sign of prestige, as most of the time only African rulers participate in this event. This participation is also part of the process of relaunching Brazil's foreign policy towards Africa, which resumed last year. This is Lula's second visit to the continent in his third presidential term. In 2023, he visited South Africa, Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Cape Verde.

Lula is scheduled to return to Brazil in the early hours of Sunday morning (18), Brasília time, where he is expected to land in the late evening.