UK-Brazil Conversa 2023

Registration

08:30 - 08:50

OPENING REMARKS

Jeremy Browne, CEO, Canning House

Professor David Doyle, Director of Latin American Centre, University of Oxford

Professor Ngaire Woods, Dean, Blavatnik School of Government 

 

08:50 - 09:10

KEYNOTE SPEECH

Rt Hon Sir Alok Sharma KCMG MP, MP of Reading West, President - COP26

09:10-09:30

SESSION ONE

PANEL 1: Brazil and the UK's places in the shifting global order

The first panel will see participants discuss where the UK and Brazil sit within the shifting geopolitical context. Key questions to be addressed include: what are the priority areas for Brazilian and UK foreign policy to achieve their global objectives? Where do Brazil and the UK envisage themselves and each other in today’s multipolar world? Is the trajectory of Brazilian and UK foreign policy diverging?

Panel

Chair: Jeremy Browne, CEO, Canning House

UK Speaker: Professor Timothy Power, Head of Social Sciences Division, University of Oxford

Brazil Speaker: Dr. Andreza de Souza, Director of the Brazil Institute, Kings' College London

Supplementary comments: Fiona Clouder, Director, ClouderVista; Former Regional Ambassador, Latin America & Caribbean, COP26 

 

09:30-11:00

Break

11:00- 11:15

SESSION TWO

PANEL 2: Infrastructure: Building our way to prosperity

The second panel will explore the role of infrastructure as an engine for economic development, both in the UK and Brazil. Adopting a broad approach, the session will examine which are the key areas for infrastructural investment in the UK and Brazil (roads, rail, ports, airports, digital, transport, and water). The session also seeks to contemplate shared learnings and the potential for collaboration between the UK and Brazil in infrastructure, considering the context of climate change.

Panel 

Chair: Ed Hudson, UKI Trade Route Leader, Ernst & Young

UK Speaker: Steve Long, Regional Manager - Latin America, Crossrail International LTD

Brazil Speaker: Karen Dinucci, ESG Technical Director, Mott MacDonald

PANEL 3: Collaborative approaches to tackling climate change and achieving net zero

The third panel will see participants examine strategies and key priorities for driving the energy transition in the UK and Brazil. Through a comparative lens, the discussion will assess both countries’ previous trajectories and current approaches for combatting climate change. It will also contemplate the UK’s potential to play a constructive role in protecting the Amazon, among other questions.

Panel

Chair: Professor Anthony Pereira, Director of Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center Politics and International Relations, Florida International University

UK Speakers:

Professor Iain Hartley, Professor of Terrestrial Ecosystem Science, University of Exeter

Beth Child, Senior Civil Servant, Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office

Brazil Speakers:

Dr. Erika Berenguer, Senior Research Associate at Ecosystems Lab, University of Oxford

Aline Soterroni, Research Fellow at Nature-based Solutions and Oxford Net Zero Initiatives, University of Oxford

PANEL 4: Future challenges facing health and social care 

The fourth panel will turn to examine the main health issues that citizens are facing in the UK and Brazil. Participants will also consider what are the future challenges in health and social care which may demand closer collaboration between the UK and Brazil. The discussion also seeks to tap into shared learnings between the UK and Brazil in terms of medical care advancements and technological innovations, taking into account the Covid-19 pandemic.

Panel 

Chair: Dr. Thomas Hone, Imperial College, School of Public Health 

UK Speaker: Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, Director, Oxford Vaccine Group, and Ashall Professor of Infection and Immunity

Brazil Speaker: Dr. Elize Massard da Fonseca, Associate Professor of Public Administration, Sao Paulo School of Business Administration, Getulio Vargas Foundation

 

11:15 - 12:45

Lunch

12:45 - 14:00

SESSION THREE

PANEL 5: Economic outlook and opportunities for investment in Brazil and the UK: Rethinking our economic relationship

The fifth panel seeks to discuss strategies for optimising bilateral trade and business between the UK and Brazil. The discussion will approach some of the most pressing questions today including: is a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on the cards in the foreseeable future? How may the UK’s recent ascension to the CPTPP and Brazil’s Mercosur membership impact trade between the UK and Brazil? How can the UK and Brazil work together in financial services and Fintech?

Panel 

Chair: Michael Reid, Former Editor of The Economist and Professor in Practice at the London School of Economics and Political Science

UK Speaker: Spencer Mahoney, Deputy Trade Commissioner for Latin American and the Caribbean, Department for Business and Trade

Brazil Speaker: Carla Ferreira, Vice Chair of the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce

PANEL 6: Transforming societies through education, social development and equal representation

The final panel will examine the role of education as a driver for social inclusion and development in the UK and Brazil. Participants will share approaches in the UK and Brazil for combatting STEM skills shortages. The discussion will examine strategies for increasing the political representation of women and people from minority backgrounds. Participants will also consider the role of civil society for bringing about positive change.

Panel

Chair: Laurence Whitehead,Senior Research Fellow in Politics at Nuffield College, University of Oxford

UK Speaker: Chris Cuddihy, Director for UK & International Government Relations, Pearson UK

Brazil Speaker: Dr. Arthur Galambda, Lecturer in Science Education, Kings' College London

Supplementary comments: Dr Mariana Borges Martins da Silva, Postdoctoral Prize Research Fellow, Nuffield College, University of Oxford

14:00 - 15:30

Break

15:30 - 15:45

PLENARY SESSION

15:45 - 16:15

Closing remarks

Alan Charlton CMG CVO, Founder of Conversa, Trustee, Canning House; Former UK Ambassador to Brazil

16:15 -16:30

Networking reception 

16:30 - 18:00