Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Monday (Feb. 9) that there will be no shortage of money for health research during his administration. While advocating multilateralism at an event held by the Butantan Institute, Lula also spoke about the partnership with China for vaccine production in Brazil and said he is not choosing the Asian country over the US.

“We are choosing what’s best for our country. If China agrees to partner with us in vaccine production and will produce the quantity we’re not yet able to produce, why not enter into an agreement with China?” he said.

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In São Paulo, the event marked the start of dengue vaccination for primary care health professionals across Brazil. The vaccine, which is produced entirely in Brazil, was developed by Butantan after more than 15 years of research funded by the federal government and the state government of São Paulo.

“As long as I am able to help, there will be no shortage of money for research, either at Butantan or any other research institute in this country,” he noted.
 

The goal is to protect 1.2 million workers on the front lines of Brazil’s national health care system, the SUS, against dengue fever. The expansion of vaccination to other groups, aged 15 to 59, starting with the oldest, is planned for the second half of this year as Butantan expands its production capacity.

Brazil’s Ministry of Health has been purchasing all available supplies, and it is expected that, based on a strategic partnership between Brazil and China, with the transfer of technology to WuXi Vaccines, production could increase 30-fold.

President Lula also spoke about fake news that attempts to discredit the importance of vaccination and stated that it is necessary to convince society to return to vaccination, “as it was in the past.”

“We have an obligation not to get discouraged, to campaign, to talk in schools, to have teachers talk, pastors and priests talk [in churches], politicians talk, until we convince people that getting vaccinated means avoiding the possibility that, at some point, nature [viruses and bacteria] could disrupt a person’s life,” he argued.

While signing the decree establishing the National Pact: Brazil Against Femicide on Wednesday (Feb. 4), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva argued that combating femicide and all forms of violence against women should be the responsibility of society – but above all of men.

“It’s not enough not to be an aggressor. We must also fight to ensure there are no more attacks. Every man in this country has a mission to fulfill,” he said during a ceremony at the Planalto presidential palace.

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The pact outlines coordinated and permanent action among the three branches of government with the aim of preventing violence against girls and women in Brazil. The novelty, Lula said, is that for the first time they are assuming that the responsibility for defending women is not only women’s.

“We’re telling the Brazilian trade union movement that this is a topic for factory gates and workers’ assemblies. We’re telling congressmen and congresswomen that this is a topic for all their speeches,” he said.

“We’re trying to raise awareness among children, because it’s the duty of our teachers, as it’s a topic that spans from nursery school to university. This is an opportunity to create a new civilization, a civilization in which it’s not gender that makes the difference, but rather behavior and respect,” he added.

The ceremony was opened by First Lady Janja da Silva. She read a story narrated by a woman who was assaulted by her boyfriend, beaten in public, but who did not get help from people who witnessed the assault.

“We are all committed to creating a society where women can live in peace. We want you, men, in this fight, by our side,” she said.

Brazilian judiciary and legislative

Brazil’s Supreme Court Chief Justice Edson Fachin, argued that the changes should not be limited to the letter of the law. “We must act on several fronts to prevent, hold accountable, and protect [women],” he declared.

“Changing the law is important, but it is not enough. Changing the law must be accompanied by a change of hearts and minds in the state, in society, and most importantly, in families. This change begins when we start to act,” he went on to say.

The judiciary, he pointed out, signed this pact “with a sense of urgency and hope, committing itself fully to the initiative.” “True peace is not born of fear and silence, but flourishes when there is protection, freedom, and dignity,” he concluded.

Lower house speaker Hugo Motta noted that Brazil ended 2025 with an average of four women murdered per day.

“It is inconceivable that we allow these numbers to continue. This action [as outlined in the pact] cannot be delayed,” he said, stating that the legislative branch will work to toughen laws in order to punish “those who act in this way, through violence against women.”

“You can count on our priority in this agenda to change this reality,” he concluded.

Senate President Davi Alcolumbre said that Brazilian institutions are united in purposes such as this. “Femicide is not just statistics, but an open wound in Brazilian society,” which needs to be treated as a problem of the state, not of the government.

“[Femicide] is the cruelest side of violence that affects the lives of thousands every day. And the pact is, above all, a commitment between institutions and a declaration of responsibility by the Brazilian state, which reaffirms one of its fundamental duties to combat femicide with the utmost rigor, with absolute priority, and with permanent action,” he stated.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that Latin America and the Caribbean will only solve their problems if they face them together. On Wednesday (Jan. 28), during the opening of the International Economic Forum – Latin America and the Caribbean 2026, in Panama, Lula highlighted the region’s political and economic assets which, through regional integration, could benefit all countries and make them more relevant on the world stage.

“Remaining divided makes us all more fragile,” the president stated during the forum’s opening session, citing the “exceptional economic, geographic, demographic, political, and cultural qualities” that Latin American and Caribbean countries have “to aspire to a relevant presence in the global context.”

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Lula added that, to achieve these objectives, it is essential for regional leaders to be committed to institutional mechanisms and to “articulate, in a balanced way, the distinct national interests of our region.”

According to Lula, regional leaders lack conviction about the benefits of adopting a more autonomous international integration project. In this sense, he suggested that countries in the region take into account unexplored riches that could ensure a competitive position in the global order.

“We have political and economic assets that can give substance to the integration effort,” the president noted, listing among them the energy potential of oil and gas reserves, hydroelectric power, biofuels, and energy generated from nuclear, wind, and solar sources.

The president also cited as assets the fact that the region has the largest tropical forest on the planet, as well as its varied soil and climate conditions and scientific and technological advances in food production.

“We also possess abundant resources, including critical minerals and rare earths, essential for the energy and digital transition,” the Brazilian president said, adding that “critical minerals and rare earths only make sense if they enrich our countries and if we have the courage to build partnerships that generate wealth, jobs, and development in our countries.”

Lula recalled that, together, the countries of the region form a consumer market of more than 660 million people. He also stressed that there are no serious conflicts among the countries participating in the forum and that, predominantly, all governments were democratically elected.

“Latin America and the Caribbean are unique. It is up to us to assume that the possible integration will be based on a plurality of options. Guided by pragmatism, we can overcome ideological differences and build solid and positive partnerships within and outside the region. This is the only doctrine that suits us,” he highlighted.

“There is no possibility that any country in Latin America, on its own, can think it will solve its problems. We have 525 years of history. Often, colonization does not come through the interference of others, but through the cultural formation of our peoples. We need to change our behavior. Let us create a bloc - a bloc that can say we will end hunger in our countries,” he concluded.

As a special guest, the Brazilian president was the second to speak, immediately after the host country’s president, José Raúl Mulino.

The International Economic Forum of Latin America and the Caribbean will run until January 30.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva published a message on Tuesday (Jan. 27) to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The text, shared on social media, reads: “We must remember the horrors that humanity is capable of committing against its own kind… Authoritarianism, hate speech, and ethnic and religious prejudice were the building blocks of this great tragedy of the 20th century.”

The genocide committed by the Nazis in Germany during World War II, from 1939 to 1945, claimed the lives of millions of Jews and other groups, including Roma and Poles, as well as homosexuals, people with disabilities, and communists.

In his message, Lula recalled that in 2004, during a meeting with Israel Singer of the World Jewish Congress, he signed a petition addressed to the United Nations (UN) to officially establish the date, which was approved the following year. The choice of January 27 refers to the day the atrocities at the Auschwitz concentration camp in Germany were revealed, in 1945.

“A day to remember those who lost their lives and to show solidarity with the millions of families destroyed and the suffering of an entire people. It is also a day to defend human rights, peaceful coexistence, and democratic institutions - fundamental elements of the more just world we want to leave for future generations,” said the president.

President Lula spoke by phone on Monday morning (Jan. 26) with the president of the United States, Donald Trump. During the conversation, Lula suggested that Trump include a seat for Palestine on the Peace Council, a body conceived, created, and chaired by the American president. He also suggested that the council limit itself to discussing issues related to the Gaza Strip.

The content of the conversation between the presidents was released by the Planalto presidential palace in a statement. The Brazilian president also emphasized the importance of a comprehensive reform of the United Nations (UN), including the expansion of permanent members on the Security Council.

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Lula was one of the leaders invited to occupy a seat on the council but has not yet responded to the invitation. Last week, at an event in Salvador, Bahia state, he criticized the proposal to create the Peace Council. According to the Brazilian president, Trump wants to establish a new UN body to exert control.

Venezuela

In the conversation, the two presidents also discussed issues related to Venezuela. Lula reiterated what he has already been saying on the subject: the importance of maintaining peace on the continent.

In addition, the Brazilian president once again proposed strengthening cooperation between the two countries in combating organized crime.

“Lula expressed interest in strengthening the partnership in combating money laundering and arms trafficking, as well as in freezing the assets of criminal groups and exchanging data on financial transactions. The proposal was well received by the US president,” stated the Planalto palace.

Economy

According to the Planalto statement, Lula and Trump also discussed how strengthening ties between Brazil and the US benefits the economy.

“President Trump stated that the economic growth of the United States and Brazil is positive for the region as a whole. Both leaders welcomed the strong relationship built in recent months, which led to the lifting of a significant portion of the tariffs on Brazilian products.”

The two met in person for the first time at the UN General Assembly in New York in September. It was a brief meeting, but the American president said he had “excellent chemistry” with Lula.

Visit to the US

During the 50-minute conversation, a visit by Lula to the United States was agreed upon. No date has been set, but the visit is expected to take place after the Brazilian president’s trip to India and South Korea in February.