Mensagens da Cônsul-Geral

“ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP LUNCHEON”

Brazilian American Chamber of Commerce

Dear members,

Dear friends,

It is an honor for me to participate for the first time in the Annual Membership Luncheon of the Brazilian American Chamber of Commerce.

Since my arrival in New York almost a year ago, I have benefited tremendously from the longstanding partnership between the Chamber and the Brazilian Consulate in New York.

I am particularly grateful for the warm and generous welcome this Chamber has extended to me. A word of thanks to Simoni Morato, José Roberto de Azevedo, Ricardo Lima and John Welch, who have been my guardian angels and closest partners.

Despite all the challenges and difficulties that the COVID 19 pandemic brought us, the Chamber has been a very close and consistent partner of the Consulate in New York.

Through events, activities and meetings, the Chamber and the Consulate have worked together to promote trade, investments and tourism between Brazil and the US.

We have supported Brazilian artists and culture in this city. We have brought Brazilians and Americans closer together.

Dear members of the Chamber,

This is the first time that a woman leads the Chamber in its history. Simoni Morato has been inspirational as both an outstanding president and tireless leader. I would like to commend her for her efforts to strengthen the philanthropic arm of the Chamber and also for bringing it closer to the large and hardworking immigrant Brazilian community in New York.

Let me add that this is not the first time a woman leads the Consulate-General of Brazil in New York. However, this is the very first time that the Chamber and the Consulate, respectively, are led by women at the same time. We should celebrate this fact! We should (and will) leave our mark! While this might be the first time, it certainly will not be the last.

Dear friends,

The Brazilian Consulate in New York has long term goals. We strive to provide excellent, friendly and efficient consular services to the estimated 500 thousand Brazilians living in our area of jurisdiction (NY, NJ, PA and the Bermudas) and to nearly 1 million Brazilian tourists that visit this city every year.

Promoting trade, business and investments is very much part of what the Consulate does on a daily basis. We provide technical support and business information to Brazilian exporters. We work in close partnership with many Brazilian institutions and ministries in order to promote Brazilian goods and services. Throughout the year, we will organize and support the Brazilian participation in several trade shows, roundtables and one-on-one meetings related to furniture, design, fashion, coffee, cachaça, wine, chocolate, specialty foods and many many more.

The Consulate also has short term priorities, needs and challenges that respond to different moments and changing circumstances.

The COVID-19 pandemic broke communities’ bonds. People became isolated in their own homes and away from family and friends. Mental health issues were and continue to be a serious problem.

At the Consulate, we felt the need to be more visible and present so that Brazilians who live in New York could feel that they were not left by themselves.

We launched a successful campaign and webinar called “Don’t be alone. We are with you!” in our social media and in our Youtube channel. (Não fique sozinha, não fique sozinha; o Consulado está do seu lado).

In the same vein, last November, we gathered for the first time 19 groups of networking; a meeting called “networking the networks”. Those groups of Brazilians who work and study in different areas in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania exchanged ideas and discussed topics for cooperation among them.

The Consulate also hosted “inspirational talks” with successful Brazilian entrepreneurs whose experience and guidance inspired the Brazilian community on how to open and expand businesses in New York.

The cultural arena was not forgotten. We opened the doors of the Consulate to Brazilian artists to display their paintings and works of art. The project “Arte Brasileira no Consulado” offers visibility to the work of Brazilian artists based in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, through the promotion of temporary exhibitions. The Consulate serves as a bridge between artists and local museums and art galleries. We have already hosted four exhibits since April 2021. I invite you to see the current one “Interconnected Forces”, organized by curator Gisela Gueiros.

Education is among our priorities. We focus on promoting Portuguese to young Brazilians in our community. During the pandemic, we held the very first “Portuguese Olympics” with the participation of Brazilian children from 8 to 15 years old. We are preparing the second one.

In partnership with the Legion of Good Will, we are finalizing a series of nine videos to provide an additional tool to teach Portuguese at home. It will be very accessible and user-friendly and we believe it will be an important platform for working parents to teach Portuguese to their children at the comfort of their homes. You only need a phone or computer.

During these trying times, the increase of domestic violence in New York and all over the world called our attention. The Consulate took many steps to help victims and survivors of domestic violence and gender-based violence. Among many initiatives, we created the LINHA DIRETA, a dedicated telephone hotline to assist victims. The Consulate also supports and promotes the “Sinal Vermelho” campaign. This campaign has been very successful in Brazil, where it reached around 10 million people and helped women to report and denounce cases of domestic violence.

Financial independence is an enabler for victims of domestic violence. We have used our social media and other platforms to promote videos and programs produced by the Brazilian Ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights and by the City of New York aimed at advancing women’s empowerment. Our consular missions away from headquarters have also promoted these efforts.

In this regard, I would like to invite you to the inauguration of the “Espaço da Mulher Brasileira em Nova York” on March 17th, in the presence of many Brazilian high level authorities from the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches. The space will be a platform or a “one-stop shop” where women will benefit from activities and events in the consular, educational, cultural, empowerment, business areas, and much more.

The Consulate is also about inclusion. With a series of videos of our staff posted in our social media, we launched the campaign “The Consulate is your Home”. We want the community to know and trust our staff. We want to convey the message that we are here to help you in the best and most friendly way. And that every Brazilian is welcome at the Consulate.

Dear members of the Chamber,

If 2021 was the year of the efforts by the Consulate to be more visible, useful and closer to the Brazilian community in a context of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2022 presents new challenges as well as great opportunities.

2022 marks 200 years of our Independence. We will sponsor and support several activities and cultural projects aimed at promoting a positive image of Brazil in New York.

2022 will also be an year of presidential elections in Brazil. The Consulate has already started preparations and we are confident that the holding of the presidential elections in New York will be very successful.

2022 started with some turbulent events that are taking the lives of many many people and has the potential of affecting the economy and the lives of many millions of people elsewhere, including in Brazil and in the United States. Let us hope that peace is achieved in the shortest period of time.

Dear friends,

The Consulate General of Brazil is at your disposal. Our doors are permanently open. We are ready to deepen and increase the partnership with the Chamber in all areas, from culture, education and philanthropy to trade, investments and tourism to the benefit of Brazil in general and the Brazilian community in particular.

I wish you an enjoyable Annual Membership Luncheon and every success to the newly elected and reelected members of the Brazilian American Chamber of Commerce.

Thank you.