The Sustainable Procurement program is one of the initiatives of the administration to ensure value is obtained in products consumed through applying environmental, economic and social criteria in all stages of the life cycle of the goods. This transforms the purchase procedure into an instrument to protect nature. Since the implementation of the regulatory standard for sustainable procurement in January 2010 up to March this year, the Federal Government has issued 1,490 tenders for items classified as sustainable by the Integrated General Services Administration (SIASG), managed by the Ministry of Planning, Budgets and Administration (MPOG).

A total of 550 products are considered sustainable by SIASG. The increase in the number of purchases of this type is explained by the increase in the number of items available. The products most purchased since the implementation of the policy are recycled ink cartridges for printers (41.5%), recycled printer toner (23.9%), air conditioning equipment (7.5%) and recycled paper (6.2%). Vehicles using biofuels and cups made from corn starch are also included in the register. Among the government bodies that most use the procurement process are the Ministry of Education (MEC), with over 600 tenders, and the Ministries of Defense and Justice, with 283 and 78 respectively.

This service has been available in Japan since 2010 and in  United States since 2011. According to Caixa Econômica, these two countries have already provided more than 2,000 payments, totaling around R$ 12 million. According to Caixa Econômica, Brazilians living in other countries will also benefit from this initiative.

Brazilian workers residing in Europe interested in making a withdrawal from their FGTS may obtain further information on the Caixa website:

http://www.caixa.gov.br/fgts/pf_saque_exterior.asp

The payment will be credited to the employee’s account with Caixa Econômica or other bank in Brazil. If the employee does not have a bank account in Brazil, they can appoint a trustee, informing the bank details for the credit, which will be transferred within 15 business days from delivery of the documentation.

Brazil is the guest of honor, which provides greater exposure. Brazil will have a 252 m2 institutional stand that will serve as a support center for the delegation, as well as a point of reference for visitors. The stand will have participation from 29 companies, four associations and the Secretary of Agriculture of the State of Bahia. In addition to participation at the fair, visits are scheduled to two supermarkets – one local and one gourmet – so that Brazilian participants can learn about eating habits, product presentation, prices and other information important to those who wish to sell into the local market.

The mission aims to strengthen Brazil’s position as a supplier of foods and to facilitate entry into the Chinese market, including for small and medium-scale producers, by providing a link between Brazilian food exporters and potential local purchasers. According to the Secretary of Production and Agro-energy at MAPA, Gerardo Fontelles, the government is also seeking to diversify Brazilian exports, and international promotions such as this are important to achieve that goal. Fontelles, who will represent Minister Mendes Ribeiro Filho at the event, will make the official opening speech at the fair.

The resources, non refundable, are from the Projects Structuring Fund (BNDES FEP) and will make possible to undertake a survey throughout the territory of Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger and Togo, including environmental conditions, social, market, infrastructure, regulatory framework and tax structure, among other things, that may have an impact on sustainability and viability of bioenergy production.

The analysis also takes into account the results of studies on execution, or already undertaken in Guinea-Bissau and Senegal, thus covering the total territory of the eight sub-Saharan countries members of UEMOA, in order to identify areas suitable for the sustainable cultivation of key raw materials used in the production of bioenergy.

The next step will be the preparation of a working plan with the goal of spreading the benefits of adopting sustainable farming techniques. Among the practices encouraged, is the farming-livestock-forest integration(iLPF) which alternates pasture with agriculture and forest in the same area.

According to the Executive Secretary of Mapa, José Carlos Vaz, the Ministry, Embrapa and the GTPS will also promote training courses and technical training, in addition to act jointly in obtaining resources for the implementation of the proposed actions. Activities and studies proving the economic, social and environmental benefits from good agricultural practices will also be developed.

In total, Latin America and the Caribbean received a record volume of US$ 153.4 billion in foreign direct investment in 2011, which represents 10% of those global flows. In 2010, the region received US$ 120.9 billion. The previous maximum historical value had been registered in 2008 (US$ 137 billion).According to ECLAC, there is a productive specialization in Latin America and the Caribbean. In Brazil, the manufacturing and services sectors received 46.4% and 44.3%, respectively, while the natural resources remained with 9.2%.

According to the report, the European Union (EU) is the largest investor in Latin America and the Caribbean. In the last decade, the EU has invested an average of US$ 30 billion per year in the region, 40% of the total received. Those investments were directed primarily to South America and are diversified across a wide range of industries, with focus on strategic segments, such as electricity and banks. Due to the uncertainty of the international scenario, the ECLAC is projecting that in 2012 the entries of FDI in the region may vary between -2% and 8% in respect of 2011.

According to 2010 Census data, the penetration of computers in households is higher in the Southeast region, where they are installed in 48% of households, of which 39.6% have access to the internet. In the North and Northeast regions, 22.7% and 21.2% of households have a computer, of which 15.4% and 16.8% have internet access, respectively. This was the first time that the IBGE Census researched internet access across the country, there is no therefore no earlier comparative data. Between 2000 and 2010 the number of households with a telephone line remained relatively stable. During the period, the figure increased from 39.7% to 40.8%. However, the proportion of households with only a mobile phone reached 47.1%.

“It is a historic investment, because for the first time the Federal Government will invest heavily in rapid, safe and modern public transport in Brazilian cities. There will be a total of R$ 32.7 billion invested in construction and expansion of subways and the implementation of light rail vehicles, so-called LRVs. We will also construct exclusive lanes, bus stations and integration terminals. The Federal Government will provide more than R$ 22 billion, and States and Municipalities will also make their contribution, with over R$ 10 billion. This is a first step, a first major initiative for us to address the problem of the number of hours that people spend on transport to get to work, to go home or go to school”, said the President.

The President added that 53 million Brazilians will benefit from the new construction works. Reducing time people spend in transit means improving quality of life, said President Rousseff. “The projects we have selected will benefit 53 million Brazilian men and women in large Brazilian cities such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte and also in those Municipalities that are part of the Metropolitan regions in these State capitals, which have the most serious problems with traffic and urban mobility in Brazil. Many people in these cities can spend up to four hours a day on the bus or train. Reducing travel times means allowing these people to take advantage of the hours that are not spent on transport to study, rest, or be with their family. And that is what is known as quality of life”, she emphasized. President Rousseff said that most of the investment will be made in subways and LRVs, since these do not obstruct streets and avenues, they carry a greater number of passengers, and are less polluting.

During the first of a series of meetings to broaden the debate on this issue with Brazilian States and Municipalities, the Minister made a point of emphasizing the importance of including the public in discussions. “It is the first time that the general public will debate topics in a UN conference that are related to the political arena and that will impact the decisions of government leaders and Heads of State”, she said.

Faced with the prospect that around 80 to 90% of the world population will be concentrated in cities by year 2050, Izabella Teixeira drew attention to the need to discuss the concept of a sustainable city. However, according to the Minister, the debate needs to take into account differing regional realities. “Discussing this topic in Acre is different to discussing it in the Pantanal or in the Northeast. The model of environmental governance in Brazil needs to be modernized and updated”.

This was the message that the Brazilian Minister of Planning, Miriam Belchior, passed to participants at the Open Government Partnership Conference, which also marked the first meeting in Brazil of the Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency (GIFT). The Conference began today at the Ulysses Guimarães Convention Center and will continue up to tomorrow.

For the Minister, Brazil’s high ranking is due in great part to the institutional instruments through which the Federal Budget established: the Medium Term Plan (“PPA”), the Budget Guidelines Law (“LDO”), and the Annual Budget Law (“LOA”).

The ranking placing Brazil in ninth place in fiscal transparency was published by the IBP in its Open Budget Index. The index measures the degree of access that each government provides to the public through the completeness of information in eight key budget documents.

The Minister detailed several initiatives that have been adopted to disseminate information, such as the monthly publication of statistics via the Internet, regular disclosure of reports on budget execution and federal debt, and bi-monthly reporting of revenue and expenditure.

In particular, she pointed out one item of significant progress: the approval of the Law on Access to Public Information. For the Minister, this is a “historic step to ensure transparency in our country, because this provides all Brazilians with the possibility to consult government documents and information”. The law applies to all three branches of government and enters into force on May 16.

According to Minister Belchior, even with this positive result Brazil will not rest on its laurels. She considers that there is still substantial room for improvement, especially in simplifying the information available to the public. “We are making great efforts to achieve this”, she said.