By Marinel E. Peroy
Beyond trade, Brazil is looking to the Philippines as a key partner in climate action and environmental conservation ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP-30) in Belém this November, Ambassador Gilberto Fonseca Guimarães de Moura said.
At the reception for the 203rd Anniversary of Brazil’s Independence, the ambassador said Brazil remains optimistic about the nation’s support for the success of the upcoming conference, “which will serve as a turning point towards decisive, collective, and inclusive climate action for the benefit of future generations.”
Since last year, Brazil has marked a rich agenda in multilateral engagements by hosting the G20 and the BRICS Summit.
“We seek much more than a thriving trade relationship, which is already a reality,” the ambassador said, noting that trade is expanding while becoming more diversified and technologically advanced.
Brazil aims to broaden cooperation with the Philippines in education, science and technology, health, energy, and sports, while fostering cultural and academic exchanges.
While looking ahead, he also highlighted the similarities between Brazil and the Philippines – rooted in cultural practices, religious faith, trade routes, and symbolic languages, as shaped by the histories of both nations that were already intertwined by the early complexities of Iberian geopolitics.
“Even though colonial legacies set our paths apart, a deep cultural affinity endures and continues to unite us to this day,” he said.
“The embassy remains wholeheartedly open to collaborating with any individual or organization committed to advancing relations between our countries,” he added.