A letter of demands drawn up by 10 organizations was delivered to the presidents on Wednesday (Feb 8)
A letter prepared by 10 organizations linked to the Brazilian black movement was delivered to the presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT), from Brazil, and Joe Biden, from the United States. The letter was delivered 2 days before the leaders’ meeting, which will be held on Friday (10.Feb.2023) in Washington.
The document asks the “inclusive recovery” of joint actions by the countries foreseen in Japer — an acronym in English for Joint Action for the Elimination of Ethnic-Racial Discrimination and Promotion of Equality, signed in 2008.
The organizations ask leaders to pay attention to issues related to education, gender, economic development, health, representation and the fight against violence against the black population. According to them, countries have made advances in racial issues, but the issue is still a “major concern”. Here’s the full of the letter (198 KB).
The movement mentions Japer as a “important mechanism” of cooperation in the fight against racism. But it also claims that the device was limited by “lack of interest” of the latest steps to implement the actions.
“Therefore, we call on the authorities in Brazil and the United States to take back Japer and make use of its full potential by considering the broad participation of civil society organizations in the design and implementation of the plan; and in creating an objective implementation strategy that encompasses deadlines, priorities, periodic reviews, and the allocation of financial resources for the activities of the plan”says an excerpt from the document.
The groups’ claims were unified in a document prepared by the Washington Brazil Officean independent institution that works with Brazilian social movements together with American politicians.
MEETING LULA AND BIDEN
The Brazilian president arrives in the United States this Thursday (Feb 9) with the mission to reestablish Brazil’s relationship with the government of Joe Biden, 80 years old, and to raise an economic agenda with the North Americans that includes the climate discussion and the strengthening of bilateral trade. Human rights issues should also be on the agenda.
Lula and Biden will meet at 3:30 pm (local time) on Friday (10.Feb.2023) at the White House. It will be the 1st bilateral meeting between the 2 presidents. They have already spoken by phone on two occasions: on October 31, 2022, when the petista was elected for his 3rd term, and on January 9, after the invasion of the Three Powers.
In December 2022, still as president-elect, Lula received the US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. It was a preparatory conversation for the meeting with Biden.
On Friday (Feb. 3, 2023), Lula settled the details of the trip with the new US ambassador to Brazil, Elizabeth Bagley. She will accompany the Brazilian delegation during the visit. The new Brazilian ambassador in Washington, Maria Luiza Viotti, has already had her agreement accepted by the American government, that is, she can already perform the function in the United States because she was accepted by the Joe Biden government.
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