Brazil In-Country Working Group
Brazil, the fifth largest nation in the world, is a federal republic bordering every country in South America except Chile and Ecuador. Brazil is the second largest world food producer, with approximately 40% of the country’s land dedicated to agriculture. It is also a significant mining and manufacturing country, and the 9th largest oil producer in the world. Brazil is ranked 89th out of 189 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index.
Despite Brazil having ratified international treaties such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as being guided by other non-binding instruments, such as the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials (BPUFF), the country still faces human rights challenges, including discrimination and violence against women, LGBTQ+, black and Indigenous people; torture of detainees in custody; extrajudicial killings by police officers; inability to protect witnesses; human trafficking; corruption, poverty and others.
The VPSHR in Brazil
Launched in November 2022, the Brazil In-Country Working Group brings together stakeholders from the mining and energy sectors interested in improving the implementation of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VSPHR) in the country. The working group is composed of companies, civil society organizations, and representatives from the Brazilian and foreign countries, and has focused its activities around capacity building of its members on VPSHR implementation; mapping of local security and human rights risks; and assessing best practices for establishing relationships between companies and public security forces.
The group, which includes representatives from across the country, meets quarterly, alternating online and in-person events in various cities such as Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, and Rio de Janeiro.
Currently, the VPI is conducting a process to select a locally-based organization to provide secretariat services for the Brazil ICWG.
Public documents
In 2025, as part of its workplan, the Brazil In-Country Working Group commissioned a report uncovering some of the current security and human risks in the country. To achieve that, Avanzar LLC consultancy interviewed several stakeholders in Brazil in the oil, gas and energy and mining sectors, government institutions and civil society. More information about the findings from this project can be found in the VPI Blog – Navigating Brazil’s Security and Human Rights Landscape.
Contacts
VPI Secretariat
Name: Patricia Jacopucci
Email: Patricia.Jacopucci@voluntaryprinciples.org