Senior U.S. officials have announced that U.S. President Joe Biden and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will start an effort on Wednesday to enhance the rights of working people, a key focus for both presidents.
Senior Biden administration officials stated that while other nations and organisations will be urged to join the U.S.-Brazil Partnership for Workers’ Rights, they did not specifically name any additional potential partners.
During their second in-person meeting on Wednesday in New York while attending the yearly high-level United Nations General Assembly, Biden and Lula will make an announcement.
Both leaders emphasised the need to fight for and advance democratic values when Lula paid Biden a visit at the White House in February. They also spoke extensively about the climate problem and their commitment to accelerating efforts to conserve the Amazon.
One of the officials said, “This partnership for workers’ rights is another area where there is a clear affinity and complement between the United States and Brazil, but also between our two presidents. Both Biden and Lula shared a deep commitment to workers’ rights as well as a “common vision for equitable, inclusive economic growth.”
Child labour, the effects of the clean energy and digital economic transitions on employees, the gig economy, and workplace discrimination against women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and racial and ethnic minorities are among the top concerns that need to be addressed, according to a second official.
Both leaders stated that they intended to discuss the issues with the Group of 20 major countries, which Brazil will lead in 2024, as well as international climate events.
In order to further their demands for improved pay and benefits, 12,700 United Auto Workers members are striking against Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler parent Stellantis at the same time as the announcement.
As tensions between Beijing and Washington have risen significantly, it shows how the United States is attempting to fortify its ties with Brazil, which has wanted to preserve close connections with China, its primary economic partner.
One of the sources claimed that U.S. representatives would discuss these matters with Brazil and had been very clear about Washington’s worries on human rights abuses in China, its business practices, and its military buildup.
The source did, however, stress that Brazil had the sovereign right to interact with China and other nations.
One of the sources noted that the two leaders are also likely to talk about the growing humanitarian catastrophe in Haiti and Kenya’s pledge to head up a global presence to support security advancements.
The person noted that Brazil might be crucial in persuading China and other U.N. Security Council members of the significance of participating in Haiti.
