The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations announced that Brazil has been elected to serve on the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The country’s term will run from 2027 to 2029.

The election took place Tuesday (Jun. 4), and Brazil received 181 votes from representatives of the countries that make up the organization.

In the view of Brazilian diplomats, the election underscores the nation’s key role on the international stage.

“It reflects the importance attributed to the strategic role that the country is to play in ECOSOC, particularly in reducing inequalities and promoting sustainable peace,” the ministry stated.

The council, composed of 54 members, is one of the main bodies of the United Nations (UN) and is tasked with coordinating the specialized agencies of the UN, making recommendations on issues involving international trade, development, human rights, the status of women, science, and technology, among others.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated Wednesday (Jun. 3) that Brazil will continue to seek new business partners to minimize the impacts of the trade policy adopted by the US. Lula chaired a ministerial meeting amid the announcement of new US tariffs on Brazilian products.

“We will seek out other partners. If they don’t want to buy, we’ll sell to whoever does. We won’t just sit around complaining. If they don’t want to invest here, we’ll look for someone else. Brazil is its own master. This is a democratic and sovereign country,” he told his cabinet ministers.

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On Monday (1), the US Trade Representative (USTR) proposed, among other measures, a 25 percent tariff on certain Brazilian goods imported by the US. The USTR report is the result of an investigation launched a year ago by President Trump’s administration into Brazil’s alleged “unfair trade practices” with the US.

Among other issues, to justify the measure, the agency accuses Brazil’s instant payment system Pix of “unfairly” harming US companies that provide electronic payment services – such as credit card operators MasterCard and Visa and WhatsApp Pay.

G7 summit

President Lula stated he will attend the G7 summit in June in France, which had not been part of his plans originally. The event brings together the leaders of Germany, Canada, the US, France, Italy, Japan, and the UK. Brazil will attend as a guest of the host, French President Emmanuel Macron.

“I wasn’t even going to the G7, but now I am. Someone needs to try to bring order to the house and stop this dismantling of multilateralism, democracy, and the devaluation of institutions. If the UN isn’t working today, we’re not going to fix the world by destroying the UN; we’re going to fix it by rebuilding the UN,” said Lula, reaffirming his support for strengthening the United Nations and reforming its Security Council.