Support to the Brazilian Center of International Relations (CEBRI)

Project BRA/00/001 -- Start Year: 2000; Approved Budget: US$ 880,000; End Year: 2002; Implementing Agent: NEX (National Execution Related Projects); Executing Agent: CEBRI.

Project background and rationale: In June 1998, a concerned group of private sector leaders in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, together with diplomats from the Ministry of Foreign Relations and some intellectuals, founded the CEBRI (Brazilian Center of International Relations). CEBRI’s mission is to act as an independent “think tank” in support to the formulation of Brazilian foreign policy. The involvement of diverse sectors of Brazilian society, through research, studies, debates, conferences, survey research polling, allows the formulation of different policy alternatives for the policy makers. Therefore, the Brazilian Government considers that CEBRI can offer important inputs, which would complement the work undertaken by traditional diplomacy.

Project development goal: The main objective of the UNDP cooperation is to enable CEBRI to perform its institutional mission, by supporting the formulation of its strategic planning, the consolidation of its infrastructure of managerial support, the elaboration of studies and the organization of workshops and other events.

Project immediate objectives and expected outputs: The initial basic objectives of this project are:

1. To promote broader participation of the society in the formulation of Brazilian foreign policy, with increased projection of the country’s national interests; and

2. In this initial stage, to provide CEBRI with the infra-structure, organizational and planning instruments necessary for the performance of its institutional mission.

An intermediate objective is to recruit and incorporate additional members and research associates from other Brazilian states, and to establish research and policy organizations in Sao Paulo, and later on in Porto Alegre, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba and other important regional cities.

Contact details: Projeto BRA/00/001 - Apoio ao Centro Brasileiro de Relações Internacionais (CEBRI). Centro Brasileiro de Relações Internacionais Rua Dona Mariana 63, 2°andar - Botafogo CEP: 22280-020, Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil