Papua New Guinea and Brazil will deepen cooperation across climate action, food security, and clean energy, following historic bilateral talks between Prime Minister Hon. James Marape and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Belém.
Prime Minister Marape said the two nations — both custodians of vast tropical rainforests — share common responsibilities and opportunities as forest economies and champions of the Global South.
“We are the largest Pacific nation outside Australia and New Zealand,” he said. “We have clean forests, clean ocean areas, and a strategic location close to ASEAN and Asia. Our interests align strongly in forestry conservation, food security, climate action, and trade.”
Deepening Diplomatic and Economic Engagement
During the bilateral meeting, Prime Minister Marape proposed a new phase of partnership, including:
• Opening a Papua New Guinea diplomatic mission in Brazil
• Inviting Brazil to establish an embassy in Port Moresby
• Encouraging business and government cooperation in agriculture, energy, and technology
“We invite Brazilian companies—especially in agriculture and energy—to invest in PNG,” Prime Minister Marape told President Lula. “Your agribusiness strength can support our move toward becoming a food-secure exporting nation.”
He said both countries could collaborate on tropical agriculture and rural development, with Brazil’s success in sustainable farming serving as a model for PNG.
Energy and Trade Cooperation
Prime Minister Marape outlined PNG’s clean-energy ambitions, saying the country aims to expand its hydropower capacity and increase LNG exports to regional markets.
“We want to be self-sufficient in energy and also support our region with clean hydropower,” he said. “Our LNG exports to Japan, Korea, and Singapore show that PNG is a reliable energy partner.”
He highlighted the country’s immense hydropower potential and said PNG intends to position itself as a regional clean-energy supplier to neighbouring countries, including Australia and Indonesia.
A Voice for the Global South
Prime Minister Marape commended President Lula for his global leadership and said Papua New Guinea was proud to stand behind Brazil’s advocacy for developing nations.
“We stand behind Brazil as a voice for the Global South,” PM Marape said. “When you speak, forest and ocean nations like ours will stand behind you.”
He said PNG was ready to join Brazil, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo in forming a stronger alliance of forest economies, working together to influence global climate finance and trade rules in favour of conservation nations.
“PNG is young but rising,” Marape said. “We seek friendship, technology, and shared value. Let us build a partnership shaped by forests, food, energy, and people.”
Next Steps
Prime Minister Marape said Papua New Guinea would soon dispatch its Minister for Trade and Investment to Brazil to establish a formal bilateral framework and plan sectoral exchanges in agriculture, renewable energy, and climate technology.
He said stronger engagement with Brazil fits PNG’s Pacific-to-Amazon diplomacy strategy, which seeks to link Pacific Forest nations with Latin America’s environmental and economic leaders.
“This partnership represents the new face of our diplomacy,” PM Marape said. “We are connecting the Pacific and the Amazon — two of the world’s great forest regions — in a common cause for climate and sustainable growth.”