UK and the São Paulo Government reinforce bilateral cooperation
FCO Minister, Hugo Swire, and Chief-secretary of Staff, Edson Aparecido, will sign agreement on education, transparency and others
Minister Hugo Swire
Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Latin America, Hugo Swire, arrives in São Paulo on 3rd October. The visit ends the Minister’s agenda in Brazil, after going to Porto Alegre and Brasília in the beginning of the week.
His programme includes a meeting with the Chief-secretary of Staff for São Paulo State Government, Edson Aparecido, when he will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the areas of education, prison administration, trade and investment, transparency and corruption control, environmental public policies and the efficient use of natural resources. The documents mark the official launch of a working group between the British Consulate-General in São Paulo and the State Government of São Paulo for the exchange of experiences in projects related to infrastructure, English language classes for public servers, best practices in the management of foreign prisoners and the development of ideas to increase transparency when giving public access the government information.
“These areas of collaboration provide an excellent opportunity for the UK and São Paulo to share experiences and expertise, and to find sustainable solutions to some of the challenges we both face. Although today is the official launch of this initiative, I know the work has already started”, the Minister said.
After that, Swire will meet with the Dean of the University of São Paulo, João Grandino Rodas, and the president of São Paulo Research Foundation (Fapesp), Celso Lafer. The objective is to increase the collaboration with British universities for the exchange of knowledge, students and scientific research. Fapesp has also chosen London as the location for the first European edition of Fapesp Week, which took place in the end of September. The event had the support of the Royal Society, the British Council and the British Science and Innovation Network. Fapesp’s choice prioritized the strong relationship in the field of science between Brazil and the UK.
More Information
Barbara Taborda Reis
Tel.:+55 11 3094-1868
Mobile.: +55 11 96300-0585
E-mail: barbara.reis@fco.gov.uk
Note to editors:
In September 2013, Mr. Hugo Swire became a member of the United Kingdom´s Foreign & Commonwealth Office, with direct responsibility for: the East and South East of Asia, India, Nepal, Latin America (including the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba), Falkland Islands, Oceania; and all the countries of the British Commonwealth. Furthermore, he is responsible for the areas of Migration, Relations with Emerging Economies, Public Diplomacy, Olympic Legacy and the GREAT Campaign, International Economy, Promoting Trade and Investment, Drug Traffic and International Crime.