Working Group to develop affirmative actions for the presidency of Brazil

By Ana Cláudia Leocádio – From Cenarium

BRASÍLIA (DF) – A directive signed by the Minister of the Chief of Staff, Rui Costa, establishes a Working Group (WG) to develop and consolidate affirmative actions promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Presidency and Vice Presidency of Brazil. The document was published in this Friday’s edition, January 24, on the Official Gazette.

At a time when the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump dismantled affirmative action policies implemented by his predecessors in the world’s largest economy, the directive from the Chief of Staff demonstrates that the Brazilian government will continue to promote inclusion, diversity, and equity initiatives.

The WG will consist of 13 members, including five representatives from the Chief of Staff, one representative from the Secretariat of Social Communication (Secom), one from the Secretariat of Institutional Relations, one member of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, one from the Institutional Security Office of the Presidency, one representative from the Vice Presidency, and one representative from the President’s Personal Office.

The directive specifies that each member will have an alternate who will substitute them in their absence. Both primary members and their alternates must be nominated by the heads of their respective agencies or units and officially appointed by the Minister of the Chief of Staff.

The WG must ensure the participation of women and Black individuals, with at least one woman (either primary or alternate) and one self-declared Black or Brown individual (either primary or alternate) for each participating agency or unit.

According to the Minister, the group will have 120 days from its first meeting to submit its final report to the Integrated Governance Committee of the Presidency, as outlined in Decree No. 10,566 of December 8, 2020. This Committee was created during former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration to develop and monitor strategic governance policies and guidelines for the Presidency and Vice Presidency.

The WG will hold monthly meetings as a standard procedure and extraordinary meetings when convened by its coordinator. Representatives from federal public administration agencies, other public institutions, and civil society, including experts, may be invited to participate in these meetings, though without voting rights.

“Participation in the Working Group is considered a public service of relevance and is unpaid”, the directive emphasizes.

According to the directive, the WG is tasked with the following responsibilities:

1. Identify and propose affirmative actions to promote rights and equal opportunities within the agencies of the Presidency and Vice Presidency of Brazil;
2. Facilitate the formulation of proposals to implement affirmative actions, diversity, equity, and inclusion;
3. Identify opportunities for training public officials, focusing on measures that promote equal opportunities and highlight the importance of affirmative actions as tools for equity and reducing inequalities;
4. Develop administrative guidelines and procedures to ensure the effective management and implementation of affirmative actions;
5. Propose an action plan detailing the types of affirmative actions to be adopted, their specific objectives, and their performance goals, particularly concerning the target groups outlined in Article 1 of Decree No. 11,785 of November 20, 2023.

Translated from Portuguese by Gustô Alves