Brazil’s International Development Cooperation at a Crossroads

Abstract

The IDS Rising Powers in International Development programme has launched a series of studies of key issues and debates on international development cooperation in BRICS countries, working with leading specialists from each country. This brief outlines the key findings of the ‘State of the Debate’ report on Brazil’s development cooperation policy. Brazil has engaged in South-South Development Cooperation (SSDC) since the 1960s, but the scale and nature of its activities have changed dramatically in the last decade, leading to a number of practical challenges. A recent announcement that technical cooperation and trade promotion will be merged into a single government agency has sparked a welcome policy debate, but the likely effects of such a major policy shift remain unclear.