The visit includes activities focused on social cooperation and the exchange of public policy experiences. - Credit: Ricardo Stuckert / PR

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva welcomed President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons at the Planalto Palace in Brasília on Thursday, May 28. The visit included the signing of bilateral agreements, marking a new phase in relations between the two countries, which are celebrating 50 years of diplomatic ties and have been strengthening political dialogue and bilateral cooperation.

Delivering concrete results through the bilateral partnership has been one of the priorities of the Brazilian government. A broader meeting between the delegations of both countries preceded the signing ceremony. Next, Lula and Geerlings-Simons delivered a joint statement to the press.

Lula stated that the meeting with Geerlings-Simons represents an opportunity to bring the two neighboring countries closer together, as they share more than 600 kilometers of border, and are connected by one of the largest continuous tropical forest areas on the planet.

“We are South American democracies that believe in cooperation, multilateralism, and regional integration as paths to peace and development. This year, we celebrate half a century of diplomatic relations,” he said.

During the visit, President Lula, the Surinamese leader, and ministers from both nations signed terms of reference to expand the existing trade agreement and encourage new business opportunities.

“Suriname is experiencing a promising moment,” Lula emphasized. “Fifty years after independence, Suriname has elected a woman president to lead the nation for the first time. President Simons is a symbol of the strength of women in our region and around the world. Brazil enthusiastically observes Suriname’s new cycle of growth. In the context of this visit, we have signed agreements on issues such as infrastructure, defense, public security, science and technology, social policies, and sustainable development,” he added.

EXCHANGE—The visit agenda includes a series of activities focused on social cooperation and the exchange of public policy experiences. The Surinamese president expressed interest in learning about Brazilian programs in the areas of social assistance, housing, healthcare, and agriculture.

President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons stated that one of Suriname’s priorities is reducing food costs and promoting food security, and that she sees Brazil as a strategic ally in achieving these goals, viewing Brazilian public policies as a source of inspiration.

“We agree that the primary task of every politician is to ensure that people can achieve a higher standard of living and well-being. We discussed issues of regional development and reaffirmed our shared commitment to safeguarding democracy and regional integration,” Geerlings-Simons said during the press statement.

SHARING EXPERIENCES —President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva recalled that, in the context of the 2025 United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP30), during their first meeting in the Brazilian city of Belém, President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons showed great interest in learning about Brazil’s experience with social policies — an objective now made possible through this new visit.

Lula also noted that Brazil moved off the FAO Hunger Map once again in 2025 and that, this week, the United Nations announced the highest Human Development Index (HDI) in the country’s history, placing it among the nations in the highest tier of the ranking. “It fills us with pride to be able to share with other countries the public policies that lifted millions of people out of hunger and poverty, expanded access to healthcare, education, and housing, and reduced social inequality,” he added.

Lula also highlighted initiatives by the Brazilian government to ensure workers have more dignity and more time with their families, highlighting efforts to create a fairer workweek for Brazilian workers. “With the support of the National Congress, my government is putting an end to the 6x1 work schedule, reducing the workweek from 44 to 40 hours,” he stated. Lula also mentioned federal efforts to combat violence against women and femicide.

“Last week, I signed a package of measures that will expand protections for women, strengthen mechanisms to hold aggressors accountable, and reinforce digital security. It is unacceptable that women continue to be attacked online without consequences for perpetrators, or murdered simply because they are women,” emphasized Lula.

COOPERATION PROJECTS —President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons came to Brazil alongside five ministers responsible for Foreign Affairs, Defense, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Social Affairs and Housing, and Transport, Communications and Tourism. Prior to the presidential visit, the ministers participated throughout the week in technical meetings with their Brazilian counterparts to advance agreements and cooperation projects.

One of the main focuses of the Surinamese government mission is the expansion of economic and energy cooperation. During apress briefingat the Itamaraty Palace on Tuesday, May 27, Ambassador Gisela Maria Figueiredo Padovan, secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, explained that Suriname is experiencing expectations of economic growth following the discovery of large oil and gas reserves. Estimates point to reserves of between 4 billion and 6 billion barrels of oil, along with significant natural gas reserves.

To President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the country is considered Brazil’s gateway to Caribbean nations, a view reinforced during the Brazil-Caribbean Summit held in Brasília last year, whose organization demonstrated Brazil’s intention to transform this rapprochement into a lasting policy. “We are living through a period of regional fragmentation and growing difficulty in building consensus. The integration mechanisms we built over decades are becoming increasingly weakened. Therefore, dialogue among countries that believe in cooperation, respect for sovereignty, and democratic coexistence becomes even more important,” he warned.

BUSINESS COMMUNITY —The Surinamese delegation’s schedule in Brasília also includes a business meeting bringing together representatives of Brazilian organizations and companies with members of Suriname’s productive sector in the areas of energy, logistics, transportation, agribusiness, and communications.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also celebrated that the visit enabled the approval of terms of reference aimed at increasing trade flows between Brazil and Suriname. “Our trade is still very small and concentrated in only a few products. In 2025, it amounted to just 55 million dollars — practically nothing. The only trade agreement we have is extremely limited. With this visit, we were able to approve terms of reference to increase flows between Brazil and Suriname,” he stated. “Negotiations will begin in the second half of the year and should expand trade facilitation measures while including new sectors. Brazil can contribute significantly to the food and nutritional security of the Surinamese people through the supply of beef, pork, poultry, and other food products,” Lula added.

According to the president, a Brazil–Suriname business meeting involving representatives from both countries would also take place on Thursday afternoon. In June, ApexBrasil plans to organize a mission to Paramaribo. Cooperation in the energy sector will also be deepened, as emphasized by the Brazilian president.

“Petrobras established a partnership in 2024 with the Surinamese state company Staatsolie for exchanges related to oil, renewable energy, and safety in hydrocarbon exploration activities. Like Brazil, Suriname also stands out for its potential in critical minerals. We have the opportunity to cooperate in sustainable mining, local industrialization, and value-added production, helping to overcome historical models based solely on the export of raw materials.”

VISITS —On Friday, May 29, President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons will visit a unit of the Social Assistance Reference Center (Centro de Referência de Assistência Social/CRAS), the main access point for Brazilian government social programs, as well as a housing development under theMinha Casa, Minha Vidaprogram and theEmbrapa Cerradosresearch center. According to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the visits will also provide an opportunity for the Surinamese president to see how Brazil can support Suriname in building capacity in family farming, food security, and sustainable agroforestry systems.

MULTI-THEMATIC AGREEMENTS—The agreements signed involve technical cooperation initiatives in social policies, universal access to public healthcare, integrated fire management, hydroelectric dam safety, and combating human trafficking. The two countries also committed to expanding cooperation in defense, public security, and the protection of the Amazon.

Among the agreements are initiatives related to cybersecurity, police cooperation, combating human trafficking, and coordinated military operations along the Amazon border region. The agreements also include cybersecurity cooperation measures and an invitation for Suriname to participate as an observer in theExercício Guardião Cibernético, Brazil’s main digital defense training exercise.

See all the agreements signed during the visit of the President of Suriname.

THE AMAZON —Regarding the protection of the Amazon rainforest, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva noted that the biome covers 95% of Suriname’s territory and half of Brazil’s territory. Data released yesterday by MapBiomas indicate that in 2025, deforestation in Brazil across its six biomes reached the lowest level in seven years. We are working to strengthen the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO). Suriname’s accession to the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF) is proof of the value we place on our natural heritage,” he celebrated. “We cooperate in the sharing of satellite imagery for real-time monitoring of deforestation and illegal mining activities,” he added.

PUBLIC SECURITY—Lula thanked President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons for Suriname’s participation in the Amazon International Police Cooperation Center (Centro de Cooperação Policial Internacional da Amazônia) in Manaus, highlighting the expansion of regional cooperation efforts to combat drug trafficking, human trafficking, and firearms smuggling.

“The new agreement with the Federal Police will expand our cooperation in combating transnational crimes, especially environmental and mining-related offenses. I invited Suriname to join the Federal Police’sOuro-Alvoprogram, which will make it possible to precisely trace the origin of minerals and map illegal smuggling networks,” he revealed.

DEFENSE—In the defense sector, the two countries advanced the update of the Defense Cooperation Agreement, considered the legal foundation for bilateral cooperation in the area. The instrument had become outdated following the implementation of Brazil’s Access to Information Law (Lei de Acesso à Informação/LAI), which prevented its full promulgation due to the need to adapt provisions related to information sharing.

“The traditional defense cooperation between Suriname and Brazil is built on a shared vision of protecting the Amazon and the South American region. More than 450 Surinamese military personnel have graduated from Brazilian institutions. We want to deepen this partnership. The establishment of Suriname’s Defense Attaché Office in Brasília will contribute to this. Our dialogue is advancing in strategic areas, such as joint border patrol actions and air traffic control training,” Lula emphasized.

INTEGRATION—The Brazilian president and his Surinamese counterpart also discussed measures to expand maritime and air connections between the two countries and advance the so-called “Guianas Ring,” an integration project connecting northern Brazil with Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, facilitating access to Caribbean markets and strengthening regional infrastructure.

“We agreed that Suriname and Brazil have enormous room to advance in connectivity. Axis 1 of the South American Integration Routes project foresees the modernization and paving of roads linking our countries. President Simons informed me about the current stage of construction of the bridge over the Corentyne River between Guyana and Suriname. It will be fundamental for integrating the entire regional space and connecting it to Caribbean markets,” he concluded.

HUMANITARIAN AID— Brazil’s government also made a Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira/FAB) aircraft available to transport President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons to Brazil due to limited air connectivity between the two countries. The flight was also used to deliver humanitarian assistance to Suriname, including pneumococcal vaccines, COVID-19 tests, and tuberculosis medication.

According to Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministério das Relações Exteriores/MRE), the initiative is part of Brazil’s policy of humanitarian support for countries in the region, especially in actions related to public health, disaster response, and emergency assistance.