Brazilian foreign minister Antonio Patriota had talks with UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon this week while attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Among the issues discussed were the preparations for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) taking place in Rio de Janeiro in June, Iran's nuclear programme, and the situations in Syria, Somalia and Libya.

His schedule in Davos also included meetings with the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Peru, and with officials from the European Union and Mexico.

On 26 January he took part in a debate hosted by the Associated Press entitled 'Is democracy up to the challenge of the 21st century?' The other participants were the leader of the Islamist party elected in Tunisia's first democratic vote, the foreign minister of Pakistan, a US congressman, and the director of Human Rights Watch. Among the subjects raised in the lively discussion were the failure of democratic governments to meet people's economic needs, how political Islam will function in democratic systems, and the pressures on the world's newest democracies.

Watch a video of the debate ‘Is democracy up to the challenge of the 21st century?’

Source: Embassy of Brazil and the Associated Press