UK PM announces Lula’s £80m donation to the Amazon Fund – 05/05/2023

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, in a conversation with the President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, announced that his country will donate £80 million to the Amazon Fund. In a statement, the British government described Lula’s visit to Downing Street, before the coronation of the new British monarch tomorrow.

The leaders also discussed the “significant potential” in bilateral relations, on topics such as health, research and development and technology, according to the note. With regard to trade, the two sides agreed on the importance of working together to address trade barriers and liberalize investment between countries.

The statement said Sunak praised Lula’s leadership on the issue of climate change and “welcomed his reflections on the troubling situation in the Amazon region”. The prime minister added that the donation to the fund would help “stop deforestation and save the region’s rich biodiversity”. Sunak also pointed to the fact that the country is participating in an alliance under COP27 on Forests and Climate, “another strong sign of the UK’s commitment to protecting the Amazon”.

Sunak and Lula also discussed the situation in Ukraine “and agreed that the invasion of Russia is unacceptable, as well as the killing of innocent civilians.” The text also states that the two leaders agreed that “peace is in the interest of all.”

“The prime minister said that as long as Russian forces remain in Ukraine, it will be impossible for the country to find peace and emphasized the need for the international community to maintain pressure on President Vladimir Putin to withdraw his forces,” the statement read.