Speech by Minister Mauro Vieira at the Opening of the Ministerial Segment of the African Diaspora Conference in the Americas - Salvador, 8/31/2024

It is an honor and a source of pride for Brazil to host the African Diaspora Conference in the Americas here in Salvador, a city where 80% of the population identifies as Afro-descendant, with contributions to the 9th Pan-African Congress, which will be held in Togo at the end of October.

I would like to thank the representatives from over 50 countries in Africa and the Americas for attending this ceremony, which marks the delivery of the results of the African Diaspora Conference in the Americas. Your presence underscores the importance of this issue for our populations.

In the case of Brazil, the organization of the Conference involved broad governmental participation, bringing together the Ministries of Racial Equality; Human Rights and Citizenship; Culture; Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture; the General Secretariat of the Presidency; the Secretariat of Communication of the Presidency; and the Chief of Staff's Office of the Presidency. We also received support from the Government of Bahia and the Brazil-Africa Institute, highlighting the event's significance for the Brazilian state.

As you know, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has established among the priorities of his third term the resumption of regional integration and the reconstruction of Brazil's partnership with African countries. The fortunate choice of Salvador as the venue for this Conference allowed us to combine these two priorities by bringing together the Americas and Africa to reflect on the presence and movement of African and Afro-descendant people across the Atlantic.

Dear Minister Dussey and Vice President Nsanzabaganwa,

The Pan-African movement has historically been founded on promoting solidarity between the African diaspora and Africa, as well as combating racism. The theme of the 9th Pan-African Congress, focused on Africa's role in reforming multilateral institutions, is therefore quite timely, aligning with the agenda of Brazil's G20 presidency in 2024.

On September 25th, we will hold an unprecedented event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, open to all UN members, to promote a "call to action" in favor of reforming global governance.

I invite all the countries present to participate in the meeting and hope that the outcomes will also inspire the debates of the 9th Pan-African Congress in Lomé.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In his speech on Africa Day in 2023, President Lula emphasized that the revival of relations with Africa is also a reunion of Brazil with itself.

Brazilian foreign policy has similarly sought to reflect our diversity, with efforts to promote racial equality, combat racism, and eliminate all forms of discrimination. Last year, we led the adoption of a resolution by the UN Human Rights Council on the "Incompatibility between democracy and racism." We also, in partnership with the African Group, presented an updated version of the resolution "The world of sports free of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related forms of intolerance."

At the upcoming session of the Human Rights Council in September and October, Brazil plans to propose a resolution on "racism and education." Recently, in partnership with Colombia, we presented a resolution at the UN General Assembly, which proclaimed July 25 as the International Day of Afro-descendant Women and Girls. Its goal is to underscore the commitment to achieving gender equality, combating racism, and highlighting the significant contributions of all Afro-descendant women and girls to the development of our societies.

These foreign policy measures are complemented by various public policies aimed at the Afro-descendant population in Brazil, which are formulated with the essential component of social participation. I would also like to express my gratitude for the valuable contributions from civil society participants, who over the past two days have engaged in intense debates to present their recommendations today, which we will hear shortly.

It is a great pleasure, therefore, to have had the opportunity to bring together key stakeholders in Salvador over the past few days and to promote this grand celebration of the International Day for People of African Descent, where we celebrate and remember the African roots of us Brazilians and our brothers and sisters in the Americas.

Thank you very much.

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