British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged Friday to Brazilian President Lula to pay 80 million pounds (about 92 million euros) to an international fund for the protection of the Amazon rainforest.
"
Apart from football, we have a lot of interests in common, whether it's strengthening our commercial ties, or fighting climate change
," Rishi Sunak said at the start of his meeting with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who traveled to London for the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday.
“Eradicate deforestation”
“
That is why I am delighted to announce that we will invest in your Amazon Fund, and I congratulate you on your leadership in this area
,” added the Prime Minister, who received the Brazilian President at his official residence in Downing Street. .
A spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office said the contribution would amount to "
80 million pounds, (...) to help eradicate deforestation and preserve biodiversity in this area
".
The Amazon Fund, created in 2008, during Lula's first stint in the presidency, currently amounts to some 3 billion reals (about 550 million euros), and has Norway as its main donor (90% of the funds). .
At the end of January, during an official visit to Brasilia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz assured that his country was ready to pay 200 million euros for the preservation of the tropical forest, including a contribution of 35 million to the Amazon Fund.
The Amazon, a priority
US President Joe Biden also announced last month that he intended to allocate 500 million dollars (about 450 million euros) to the Amazon Fund, but this amount must still be approved by Congress.
Returning to power for a third term in January, Lula has promised to make the preservation of the Amazon a priority and to end illegal deforestation by 2030.
Under the presidency of his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, average annual deforestation in the Amazon had increased by 75% compared to the previous decade.
At the end of April, Lula announced the approval of six new indigenous reserves, the first legalized in five years, considered as bulwarks like deforestation, granting these lands to indigenous peoples to preserve their traditional way of life.