Brazil is the only Latin American country with which Germany has enjoyed a strategic partnership since 2008. This strategic partnership, which Germany and Brazil would like to deepen in the coming years, not least within the context of intergovernmental consultations, is principally concerned with further expanding cooperation on bilateral and multilateral issues.

Cooperation between the two countries is wide-ranging, covering areas such as energy, the environment, climate, science and research, business and trade, defence, labour and social affairs, as well as cooperation within the United Nations and on human rights. With funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Federal Environment Ministry’s International Climate Initiative, Germany and Brazil are working together particularly to protect the tropical forests and promote renewable energies and energy efficiency. Both countries attach particular importance to scientific, technological and cultural exchange. The large number of Germans emigrating to Brazil over the years has had a positive impact on cooperation.

Brazil and Germany work together on numerous issues on the international agenda, in particular the reform of the United Nations, including the enlargement of the Security Council to include new permanent and non‑permanent members. Cooperation also takes place on international climate protection and environmental policy, in the context of the G20 and within the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. Further topics of bilateral cooperation are urbanisation and cyber policy.

Brazil is Germany’s most important trading partner in South America. Bilateral trade in both directions gained impetus in the past two decades, with a temporary decline during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Information about German development cooperation with Brazil can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.