Brazil weighs US suggestions on democracy and environment

THE CNN had access to the summary text of the commitments that the United States presented to the countries that will take part in the Summit of the Americas.

There are five “political commitments”:

• Democratic governance;
• Health and resilience to the pandemic;
• Clean energy transition;
• Our green future;
• Digital Transformation.

There is a sixth topic that deals with migration.

See the full content of the commitments here.

In two of them, Brazil, the American proposal deals with values ​​that the Jair Bolsonaro government is questioning: democracy and the environment. The final version of the texts is still being negotiated, but government sources told CNN that Brazil has no resistance to the general tenor.

In the pledge on “Democratic Governance”, the Americans proposed that “The Ninth Summit will support and enhance the effective implementation of our commitments to democracy and transparency, including free and fair elections; citizen participation; protection of human rights defenders, environmental defenders, journalists, workers, women and girls in all their diversity and members of vulnerable and marginalized groups”.

The document also says that “the pandemic has exacerbated democratic setbacks in our region and now more than ever our leaders reaffirm their commitment” and that “Against a backdrop of democratic setbacks and human rights abuses in many parts of the region, the citizens of our countries are increasingly clamoring for responsible, resilient and inclusive democracies.

Already in the text on the environment, it says that “The commitment includes measures to combat deforestation, the conversion of ecosystems and the plastic pollution of the oceans”. “As those most affected by climate change are often the most vulnerable, this commitment emphasizes the involvement of decision-makers with indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant populations, women and girls and other disadvantaged communities,” the text reads.