Brazil and IEA partner on fair and inclusive energy transitions

At the COP28 Climate Change Conference in Dubai, IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol and Brazil’s Minister of Mines and Energy Alexandre Silveira announced plans to intensify cooperation in tackling the most pressing climate and energy challenges facing Brazil, Latin America and the world.

Assuming leadership of the G20 on 1 December 2023, Brazil’s President Lula highlighted the strong emphasis his government is placing on ‘building a fair world and a sustainable planet’, fighting inequalities and the climate crisis by accelerating the global energy transition and governance reform.

The IEA and Brazil have been working together closely for more than two decades and have deepened cooperation since Brazil became an IEA Association country in 2017. Collaboration has covered a wide range of fuels and technologies, including hydropower, biofuels, solar and wind energy as well as natural gas markets, under a series of two-year joint work programmes. The IEA’s Clean Energy Transitions Programme has further strengthened this engagement.

A joint priority is to foster regional collaboration across Latin America and to advance its leading role in global energy transitions. At COP28, Dr Birol and Minister Silveira highlighted Latin America’s unique opportunities in the new energy economy, as they presented the new IEA 2023 Latin America Energy Outlook (LAEO) at an event hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank.

“Brazil, under the leadership of President Lula, has set an ambitious agenda for its G20 Presidency,” said Alexandre Silveira, Brazil's Minister of Mines and Energy. “This partnership with IEA is strategic for the success of the discussions that we will conduct on the Energy Transitions Working Group, so that we can advance into just and inclusive development models, in line with the priorities defined by Brazil.”

“I am delighted that Brazil and the IEA will launch this collaboration with a sharp focus on inclusive energy transitions, mobilising clean energy investment and global climate action,” said IEA Executive Director Dr Birol. “I look forward to working with Minister Silveira during Brazil’s G20 Presidency to ensure that energy transitions are a unifying force, which is a key priority for IEA members and partner countries.”

Closer cooperation will allow the IEA and Brazil to build new partnerships and support Brazil’s international energy leadership on issues such as energy access, green industrial growth and clean energy manufacturing as an enabler of people-centred transitions to net zero emissions. The IEA’s work alongside the G20 and COP will also inform the preparations for COP30 which Brazil will preside over in 2025.