Comércio e Desenvolvimento

This 2009 report by the Centro de Estudos de Integração e Desenvolvimento (CINDES) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the evolving relationship between Brazil's trade agenda and sustainable development (SD). While the Brazilian government has historically opposed linking trade negotiations to environmental and social standards, the report highlights how private actors, agribusiness, and transnational companies are increasingly forced to adopt these standards due to international market pressures, investment requirements, and unilateral measures from developed nations.

• The official position of the Brazilian government has remained consistently critical of linking trade and investment negotiations to environmental, labor, or social issues, viewing such links as a "agenda do Norte" and a potential tool for protectionism by developed countries.
• Despite official government resistance, various economic agents and social actors in Brazil integrate sustainable development into their trade, investment, and financing agendas due to international ties and pressures from consumers and importers.
• Climate change and the deforestation of the Amazon have become central drivers for the Brazilian agribusiness sector, making it a target for public and private initiatives in Northern countries to define standards for products and production processes.
• The 'Soy Moratorium' was established in July 2006 by ABIOVE and ANEC to prevent the expansion of soy farming into virgin areas of the Amazon biome, following pressure from European consumers and NGOs like Greenpeace.
• Brazilian transnational companies investing in South America and Africa face new challenges regarding social and environmental impacts, often being required to provide a "social license to operate" by negotiating with local communities and adhering to international human rights standards.
• Developed nations, particularly in the EU and USA, are implementing new instruments to address 'non-trade concerns,' such as carbon taxes on imports, environmental seals for ethanol, and the REACH regulation for chemical substances, which increase costs for Brazilian exporters.
• The Brazilian forestry sector has seen a slow but growing adoption of certification schemes like CERFLOR and FSC, although certified wood remains a small fraction of total production and new compulsory legality certificates from the US and EU pose significant trade barriers.
• The emergence of 'food security' and 'energy security' has impacted Brazil's trade, leading to a 'primarization' of its export profile and creating tensions with neighbors like Bolivia and Ecuador over oil and gas contracts.

APA

Veiga, P. D. M., & Rios, S. P. (2009). Comércio e Desenvolvimento. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tkn_trade_brazil_es.pdf

Chicago

Veiga, Pedro da Motta, and Sandra Polônia Rios. Comércio e Desenvolvimento. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2009. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tkn_trade_brazil_es.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Veiga |first1=Pedro da Motta |last2=Rios |first2=Sandra Polônia |title=Comércio e Desenvolvimento |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2009 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tkn_trade_brazil_es.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{veiga2009comrcio, author = {Veiga, Pedro da Motta and Rios, Sandra Polônia}, title = {{Comércio e Desenvolvimento}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2009}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/tkn_trade_brazil_es.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }