São Paulo – The implementation of public policies that are capable of protecting the environment while fostering activities to include the poorer population in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) formation will be one of the main proposals to be submitted by Brazil to the United Nations (UN), in November, for debate at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20).
The proposal was championed today (9th) by federal government representatives at the Ethos Conference, Enterprises and Social Responsibility 2011, promoted by the Ethos Institute, at the headquarters of the Federation of Commerce of the State of São Paulo (Fecomercio).
During the meeting, the Brazilian minister of Environment, Izabella Teixeira, stated that Brazil, more than any other country in the planet, can show the world that it is capable of maintaining its economic growth trajectory without compromising biodiversity. She demanded boldness from the country during the debates of the conference, highlighting that “Brazil qualifies to play a leading role in sustained growth projects and the facing of the challenge of eradicating poverty.”
To the minister, however, a law must be passed that will “provide legal security to a vision of public policies and private sector investment, and to provide funding to all of those who wish to plant, reforest and handle.” She believes that the country can develop without illegal deforestation. “Our proposal is to work in tandem with the private sector.”
Also attending the meeting, minister Tereza Campello, of Social Development and Hunger Alleviation, claimed that although the government has attained success with its poverty reduction policy, which rescued 28 million people from extreme poverty, there are still 16.2 million people living below the poverty line, with per capita incomes lower than 70 reals (US$ 43.8).
She stressed that these people have not benefited from the chances that were offered during the “labour force blackout” due to lack of qualification and that for that same reason, the government has been working on three different fronts to reverse this scenario: income transfer, productive inclusion and increased access to public services. ”We must seek this population,” she said.
According to the minister the government is working on measures that will cause family farming to make headway in product supply to the domestic market as a means to generate income. In rural areas, 25% of the population is in a situation of extreme poverty.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
