Joint Communiqué Issued at the Meeting Between the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, and the U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton

At the invitation of the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Relations Celso Amorim, the U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, made an official visit to Brazil on March 3, 2010. In Brasília, Secretary Clinton met with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and with Minister Celso Amorim.

The ministers noted with satisfaction the maturity achieved in the relationship between Brazil and the United States, which has been reflected in the broadening of joint initiatives, in a comprehensive political dialogue and in the convergence of the fundamental values that unite our two societies in upholding democracy and multiculturalism, in protecting human rights, in safeguarding international peace and security, and in promoting sustainable development with social justice.

Due to the intensity of the bilateral relationship and the importance of the international roles played by the two countries, Minister Amorim and Secretary Clinton created a Global Partnership Dialogue between their respective Ministries. Their dialogue, which will support, complement and provide context for other high-level dialogues between U.S. and Brazilian officials, is intended to foster discussions on the bilateral, regional and global agendas. The two ministers decided that the meetings of their Dialogue will be held annually, alternating between the two countries.

During their first meeting, Minister Amorim and Secretary Clinton addressed the following points, among others:

Bilaterally, they highlighted the importance of economic cooperation and trade and investment flows for creating jobs and increasing competitiveness. They welcomed the ongoing discussions between the Ministry of External Relations and the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on a framework for trade and economic cooperation, as well as the results achieved separately under the Economic Partnership Dialogue, the Bilateral Consultative Mechanism, and the Brazil-U.S. CEO Forum.

They agreed to give a new impetus to the bilateral mechanisms in the energy area, and expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved in the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding to Advance Cooperation on Biofuels. Minister Amorim and Secretary Clinton agreed that joint initiatives in science, technology and innovation must be viewed as a strategic chapter in the bilateral Brazil-U.S. relationship, with the aim of expanding joint research and development activities.

Recalling their participation in an event on the margins of the 64th United Nations General Assembly on combating violence against girls, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Advancement of Women, with the aim of enhancing cooperation between the two countries in confronting sexual exploitation and in combating trafficking and all forms of violence against women and girls.

They noted advances achieved in implementing the Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Ethnic and Racial Discrimination and Promote Equality and reaffirmed the commitments by the two governments to continue to work jointly with their societies, in both bilateral and multilateral frameworks, with the aim of eliminating all forms of discrimination.

They expressed the desire to enhance the dialogue and cooperation between Brazil and the United States in the areas of defense and security. They reaffirmed the need to maintain fluid and ongoing exchanges on these and other related issues and, in this context, they praised the reactivation of the Political-Military Talks and the Defense Bilateral Working Group.

They expressed their commitment to improve cooperation on bilateral consular and migration issues. They noted with satisfaction the forthcoming entry into force of the agreement that will increase from five to ten years the period of validity for visas for citizens of the two countries who travel for tourism or business.

Within the region, they reaffirmed their commitment to reinvigorating the Organization of American States (OAS), especially in strengthening democracy in the Americas, in harmony with the Inter-American Democratic Charter and with the principle of non-interference in countries’ domestic affairs. They agreed to intensify the fight against hunger and poverty among the OAS member countries and they agreed that this subject should be a central topic of the 40th OAS General Assembly.

They agreed that the willingness of the United States to engage in dialogue with the Union of South American Nations (UNASUL) on issues of defense, security and development, constitutes an important step towards achieving enhanced coordination.

They expressed their deepest sorrow over the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile and their tragic consequences. Regarding Haiti, they believe that the United Nations, including its Mission for the Stabilization of Haiti (MINUSTAH), is the primary agency for coordinating international assistance. They expressed their strong commitment to supporting the Donors’ Conference on March 31, 2010, in New York, and the plan to undertake the reconstruction of Haiti and meet its post-disaster needs, which will be presented by the government of Haiti. They similarly agreed with the creation of a trust fund to finance the reconstruction of Haiti, based on its own national priorities. Both Minister Amorim and Secretary Clinton committed themselves to work to facilitate market access to products originated in Haiti. Minister Amorim reiterated that Brazil intends to extend a preferential trade program to Haiti similar to the U.S. HOPE II, and the two ministers emphasized the importance that both governments support initiatives aimed at promoting investment and economic reconstruction in Haiti.

On global topics, they agreed that it is necessary for multilateral institutions and forums to reflect the political and economic realities of the 21st century. To that end, they committed themselves to achieving genuine reform of the United Nations, including the Security Council, in a manner that reflects contemporary realities, enhancing the ability to carry out mandates as a representative, credible and effective forum for meeting the challenges of the new century. Moreover, they reaffirmed that they are committed to consulting closely on UNSC reform, and on the issues on the Security Council’s agenda, bearing in mind Brazil’s participation as an elected UNSC member for the 2010-2011 term. They also agreed to reinforce bilateral consultations on the reviewing process of the Human Rights Council, as established by U.N. General Assembly resolution 60/251, building upon its past achievements and paving the way for new and cooperative approach to enhance its effectiveness in defending and promoting human rights.

They signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Climate Change and highlighted the importance of close cooperation in this area. They reiterated that the Copenhagen Accord was a significant step forward in addressing key issues for tackling the global challenge of climate change and reaffirmed the political commitments of both countries contained therein. They also recalled that Brazil and the United States communicated to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) their respective actions and targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They stressed that both countries will continue to promote the full, effective, and sustained implementation of the UNFCCC. They reiterated their commitment to advancing the negotiations at the 16th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC. In this context, they noted the significance of dialogue between the BASIC Group countries (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) and the United States.

They welcomed the institutional recognition of the G-20 as the premier forum for international economic cooperation. They reaffirmed that both countries are committed to seeking an ambitious and balanced conclusion of the negotiations of the World Trade Organization’s Doha Round, as agreed to in Pittsburgh in September 2009.

They reiterated that both countries are committed to disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation with a view to leading to a world free of nuclear arms. They confirmed their commitment to achieving a positive outcome at the Nuclear Security Summit, to be held in Washington, D.C. on April 12-13, 2010. They also highlighted the need to strengthen and fully comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and to support the decisions arising from the NPT Review Conferences. They confirmed their engagement in seeking to achieve a successful outcome of the 8th NPT Review Conference in May 2010, which will depend on a balanced approach and a strengthened commitment to the three pillars of the NPT: disarmament, nonproliferation and peaceful uses.

They expressed their serious concern with the evolution of the nuclear situation in Iran. They recognized the right of all signatories to the NPT to develop nuclear programs for peaceful purposes and encouraged Iran to take the necessary steps to strengthen the international community’s confidence in the peaceful nature of its program by fully cooperating with the IAEA and complying with the obligations contained in the relevant UNSC resolutions. They reiterated their commitment to the pursuit of a positive diplomatic outcome to these issues.

Upon signing the Memorandum of Understanding for the Implementation of Technical Cooperation Activities in Third Countries, they directed their respective cooperation agencies, Agência Brasileira de Cooperação (ABC) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to explore new projects, primarily but not exclusively in Africa and Haiti. They recalled the ongoing trilateral initiatives in the areas of healthcare, HIV/AIDS and agriculture in Mozambique.

They highlighted that both Brazil and the United States are committed to comprehensive peace process between Israel and its Arab neighbors. They share a vision of a region where two democratic and economically viable states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side, in peace, within secure and recognized borders.

Minister Celso Amorim conveyed to Secretary Hillary Clinton an invitation from Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for President Barack Obama to visit Brazil in 2010.