Brazil's president Lula to visit Bangladesh to strengthen ties

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced on Monday that he intends to visit Bangladesh by February 2026 to deepen diplomatic and economic ties between the two nations.

Lula confirmed the planned visit during a meeting with Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the World Food Forum (WFF) flagship event, organized by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome. The announcement followed Yunus’s formal invitation, which Lula readily accepted, according to a statement from the Chief Adviser’s Office on Tuesday.
“I will go to Bangladesh,” Lula said during the meeting, emphasizing Brazil’s willingness to share its successful model of universal healthcare while learning from Bangladesh’s globally recognized achievements in social business and microcredit innovation.
Both leaders were featured as keynote speakers at the Rome forum, where they addressed challenges such as food insecurity, social inequality, and the global climate crisis. Later, in their bilateral meeting at the FAO headquarters, they discussed an ambitious cooperation agenda encompassing social inclusion, poverty reduction, and sustainable development.
Lula and Yunus also explored potential joint initiatives in several sectors — including deep-sea fishing, pharmaceuticals, and vaccine access. The discussions highlighted a shared commitment to making vaccines more affordable and patent-free, a stance that both countries have championed in international forums.
The leaders also exchanged views on climate action ahead of the COP30 Summit, which Brazil will host in 2025 in the Amazonian state of Pará. Lula extended a personal invitation to Yunus to attend the conference, which is expected to spotlight global efforts to protect the Amazon rainforest and promote climate justice for developing nations.
Yunus, who has been serving as Bangladesh’s interim leader since 2024, briefed Lula on the youth-led democratic movement that transformed Bangladesh’s political landscape in mid-2024 and underscored the government’s renewed focus on transparency, equity, and sustainable growth.
The meeting also underscored the growing alignment between Bangladesh’s vision for inclusive economic reform and Brazil’s leadership in the Global South. Both nations are members of key international platforms such as the G77 and have advocated for greater South–South cooperation to address inequality, climate change, and food security.
On the sidelines of the event, Yunus held additional talks with Djibouti’s Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed and Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, focusing on strengthening ties with African and European partners in areas such as urban innovation, renewable energy, and global food security.
Lula’s upcoming visit — his first to Bangladesh since returning to the presidency in 2023 — is expected to pave the way for new bilateral trade, health, and education agreements, reflecting a broader effort by both Dhaka and Brasília to expand partnerships across Asia and Latin America.