On 20 August, US Undersecretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Agricultural Affairs Reuben Jeffery III and Brazilian Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Everton Vargas convened a US-Brazil biofuels steering group meeting in Brasilia to advance cooperation on biofuels. The partnership's aims are to catalyze biofuels use in the region and beyond; diversifying energy supplies, democratizing energy markets, bolstering economic prosperity, advancing sustainable development, and protecting the environment. The officials noted with great satisfaction the accomplishments made under the US-Brazil Memorandum of Understanding to Advance Biofuels Cooperation signed on 9 March 2007, in São Paulo.

Bilaterally, Brazil and the US continue to advance cooperation on biofuels research and development. Since Presidents Bush and Lula met on 31 March 2007, six high-level visits have occurred to bolster bilateral cooperation on biofuels research. The two countries welcomed the upcoming visit of a team of Brazilian scientists to the US Department of Energy and US Department of Agriculture Laboratories the week of 10 September 2007. To further advance cooperation on biofuels research, officials agreed to explore professorial and graduate student exchanges between leading US and Brazilian Universities.

In third countries, US and Brazilian officials underscored the transformative role of biofuels in advancing energy security and promoting sustainable development. The United States and Brazil, in cooperation with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Organization of American States (OAS), and the UN Foundation (UNF), have begun feasibility studies in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and El Salvador, and have completed feasibility work in St. Kitts and Nevis. These studies will be used to assist governments and provide funding for public-private sector activities to develop local capacity for biofuels production. Officials from each of the initial four target countries will also visit the US in August to attend a USDA-sponsored biofuels conference.

Globally, the United States and Brazil have agreed to a roadmap to achieve greater compatibility of biofuels standards and codes by the end of 2007. This work is being carried out initially by the industry and standards organizations of the US, Brazil, and European Union under the International Biofuels Forum (IBF). A report on this work will be presented at the next IBF meeting scheduled to take place in India this fall. IBF members include Brazil, the United States, the European Commission, China, India, and South Africa.

To further advance the public-private sector nature of the US-Brazil Biofuels Partnership, the two countries agreed to create an advisory committee to the steering group that will comprise private sector and international organizations. The two countries reiterated the high priority both attach to continued rapid progress implementing the goals of the partnership, and agreed to meet later this year in the United States.

Source: Ministry of External Relations