An indication of the importance the Brazilian government attaches to the environmental and social sustainability of the sugarcane sector in Brazil was given on 25 June by the launch of initiative entitled 'Improving Working Conditions in the Sugarcane Sector - a National Covenant' by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The initiative includes the creation of a Dialogue Round Table that will suggest and debate concrete means of enforcing the legal rights of sugarcane workers and improving labour conditions in the sector.

The Covenant was the result of a federal government plan to implement public policies that might contribute to promoting fair and sustainable development in Brazil, and a commission of trade unionists, business leaders and federal government agencies has been set up to ensure the terms of the Covenant are complied with in years to come.

Source: Office of the President and Embassy of Brazil in London