(Nov 15): Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney and Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signalled closer ties on Sunday with funding to protect the world’s tropical forests and visits to each others’ countries.

The two leaders met on Sunday on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in Manila. Carney announced funding of as much as C$560 million (RM1.6 billion) over four years to a Brazil-led global financing project for forests.  

Lula told reporters in Manila that he’d invited Carney to Brazil in the first three months of next year and would be visiting Canada in the second quarter. Canada is a country “which we want to strengthen our relations so we can double our trade,” Lula said.

Canadians understand our responsibility to protect nature — both in our own backyard and around the world.

Carney and Lula have combined efforts with the European Union and Kenya in an initiative called Partners for Multilateralism, or P4M, to foster global cooperation, seeking to counter the transactional diplomacy under US President Donald Trump.

Lula said in an address to Asean leaders on Sunday that strengthening cooperation was the “greatest need of our time” and was necessary for sustainable development and reducing inequality. Speaking to reporters later, he said Brazil’s approach to Trump’s tariffs was “instead of weeping or begging the US government,” it salvaged its position by diversifying trading partners.

The funding announced by Carney represents Canada’s initial contribution to the Tropical Forest Forever Facility, a financing mechanism led by Brazil and Norway. Once fully operational, the project will protect more than one billion hectares of tropical forests annually across more than 70 countries.

The contribution is part of Canada’s goal to provide C$13 billion in climate-related support to developing countries by 2031, Carney’s office said in a statement.

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