Map of hunger, social justice and sovereignty

In the week that the country anxiously awaits the real configuration of US President Donald Trump's tariff hikes, the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva celebrates a major achievement in social results. Brazil has been removed from the Hunger Map, as announced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO/UN) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Hunger Map identifies countries where more than 2,5% of the population suffers from severe undernourishment, with chronic food insecurity. This means that a significant portion of the population does not have regular access to enough food for a healthy life and goes a day or more without eating.

My colleague Wellington Dias, Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Family and the Fight Against Hunger in Brazil, made a precise summary: "There is no sovereignty without food justice and there is no social justice without democracy," he said, encapsulating in those few words the moment we are going through.

It would be very useful for Trump and his Brazilian supporters to hear and understand this phrase in its entirety. The world would be better off without wars—whether wars involving armed attacks between nations or wars over tariffs in foreign trade.

Our country is leading the way. We are talking about public policies to reduce poverty and misery, alongside a healthy economy, to generate employment and opportunities for those who want to work for themselves and become entrepreneurs. It is a permanent effort to advance multilateralism and international dialogue.

For the first time in its 65-year history, the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) has engaged with determination in this pursuit of social results, through a wide range of actions and initiatives aimed at those who need it most.

The most recent example is the launch of Luz do Povo (People's Light), the largest social program created under the current federal government administration and in effect since July 5th. Electricity bills have been waived for 60 million low-income Brazilians whose monthly family consumption is up to 80 kilowatt-hours. Another 55 million people are entitled to a discount, bringing the total to 115 million beneficiaries across all regions.

This initiative guarantees a minimum of dignity for people: electricity for a brighter home, a refrigerator to store food, and a television to watch their favorite program, in addition to hot showers, an outlet to charge their cell phone, and an iron.

In the same area, we had already resumed the "Light for All" Program, which brings access to electricity to low-income populations in rural areas and remote regions of the Legal Amazon that do not yet have this service. From January 2023 to May 2025, more than 140 families benefited—a total of 562 people.

In just a few days, on August 5th, the "Gas for All" program will begin, providing gas cylinders to 17,4 million families. This will help combat energy poverty and promote clean cooking. Many households still prepare food using wood-burning stoves, which puts the health of women and children at risk due to constant smoke inhalation.

There are other initiatives by the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME), such as Energias da Amazônia, which is modernizing the supply in the isolated systems of the Legal Amazon, replacing diesel-fired thermoelectric plants with clean forms of energy, such as solar.

It is also worth mentioning the Clean Energy Program in the Minha Casa, Minha Vida (My House, My Life) program, in which homes receive photovoltaic panels. The Social Biofuel Seal benefits family farmers integrated into the biodiesel production chain. Through Aquaculture for Food Security, the aim is to increase the production of fish and other foods in hydroelectric reservoirs.

It should also be noted that comprehensive legislation has been developed to protect the rights of populations affected by dams, with a series of obligations for the responsible companies and guarantees for the people and families affected by mining and hydroelectric projects. Not to mention the renegotiation of the Rio Doce Agreement, for the full and definitive reparation of the damages caused by the collapse of the Fundão Dam in Mariana (MG) in 2015.

Obstacles in the economy and setbacks in international relations will not prevent Brazil from maintaining its purpose of ensuring development with social inclusion, firmly committed to the non-negotiable defense of national sovereignty.