Several NGOs ask to reject Brazil from OECD due to Bolsonaro’s policies

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – More than 60 NGOs asked the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to consider Brazil’s accession to that body since the environmental and human rights policies promoted by the government of Jair Bolsonaro are incompatible with the objectives of the multilateral body.

In a letter sent on Wednesday to the Australian Mathias Cormann, appointed as the new secretary of the OECD, the Brazilian and international organizations pointed out that, if the vote of confidence is given to the South American country, it would be sending “a harsh message to those who are currently fighting for the defense and guarantee of rights”.

“The current environmental protection and human rights policies are incompatible with what is expected of an OECD member country and should be taken into account in an eventual process of Brazil’s accession to the organization,” the letter states.

Greenpeace, Conectas, WWF, Global Justice, the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib), the Pastoral Land Commission, the International Federation for Human Rights, and the Climate Observatory are among the 61 organizations that signed the letter.

In the letter, the NGOs criticized the management of the ultra-conservative leader for facing the coronavirus pandemic, which already leaves more than 425,000 dead and 15.2 million infected in the country. They accused him of dismantling Brazil’s socio-environmental policies.

“President Bolsonaro constantly underestimated the seriousness of the disease, supported the use of ineffective and unfounded treatments, ignored the urgency in the purchase of vaccines, attacked local government officials who adopted measures to combat the pandemic, encouraged crowds and discouraged the use of masks and social isolation as measures to contain the contagion,” the missive denounced.

The organizations also emphasized that the country is experiencing a “serious democratic crisis” because the voices critical of the Government have been “intimidated” by the “state apparatus”, with the use of the National Security Law, a nefarious legacy of the military dictatorship to frame opponents and treat political differences as a crime”.

With regard to the environment, the NGOs pointed out that the policies promoted by Bolsonaro do not plan to expand protection and, on the contrary, intend to endorse activities with significant impact on the environment, such as mining, the implementation of hydroelectric dams and the exploitation of gas and oil within indigenous territories.

The environmental issue is one of the main concerns of the OECD, which in its report “Towards Growth 2021: Shaping a Vibrant Recovery”, published in mid-April, insisted on the “need to strengthen the effective protection of natural resources, including the Amazon rainforest” and advised Brazil to increase “efforts” to combat illegal deforestation.

The OECD brings together 37 of the world’s most powerful countries, committed to meeting certain criteria in public policies to promote economic and social welfare.

The Australian Cormann will take over as secretary-general of the organization on June 1, replacing the Mexican Ángel Gurría.

Since Bolsonaro came to power on January 1, 2019, he has made public his desire for Brazil to become part of the organism.

Under his mandate, he agreed to renounce special treatment in the World Trade Organization (WTO) in exchange for the firm support of the United States, when Donald Trump was its president, for its entry into the organization.

The Brazilian president believes that Joe Biden’s administration will maintain “all the agreements” reached during the Trump administration, something that the US government has not yet confirmed.