Between 25 and 29 July 2023, the Brazilian Association of International Relations (ABRI) promoted its 9th National Summit, held at the Coração Eucarístico Campus of the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PUC-Minas), in Belo Horizonte – MG. The LABMUNDO team of researchers was present in nine panels in the event’s programme.

On the first day of the Summit, Tuesday, LABMUNDO-Bahia coordinator Elsa Sousa Kraychete participated in the panel “Africa, international relations and geopolitical disputes in the 21st century: the continent, its global insertion and relations with Russia, China and the United States”, presenting her paper The New Silk Road: Chinese investments in African countries.

On 26 July, Prof Elsa acted as a debater at the “China in Africa and Latin America: contemporary debates” panel, which featured the presentation Sino-Venezuelan relations in the 21st century – investment, cooperation and dependence, by researcher Gustavo Novais da Encarnação. Researcher Kethlyn Gabi Winter presented her work The deployment of Brazilian troops for peace operations: a look at the domestic decision-making process, in the panel “Brazilian foreign policy in the 21st century”. On the same day, Kethlyn participated in a second panel, “Legislative and Brazilian foreign policy”, presenting the paper The National Congress as an actor in foreign policy: the decision-making process of the Technology Safeguards Agreement between Brazil and the USA. Researcher Renata Albuquerque Ribeiro participated as a debater in the panel “Environment, natural resources and political economy: social struggles and alternatives”, also on Wednesday.

The following day, 27 July, it was Caio Samuel Milagres, Hugo Bras Martins, Katiani Lucia Zape and Neuton Messias da Silva‘s turn to contribute to the event. Katiani was part of the session “Exploring feminist connections and gender issues in a transversal way”, with the presentation Climate change and gender vulnerability in local spaces. Hugo presented his paper The role of legislative power in troop deployment for peacekeeping operations: an analysis of the Brazilian case during the panel “Collective security”. Caio, meanwhile, presented the piece The Energy Transition and Brazil’s Energy Security Planning – Dilma Government (2011-2014) and Bolsonaro Government at the session entitled “Energy Security”. Next, Neuton presented Unconventional Threats and National Security: Food and Nutrition (in)Security as a Challenge, in the panel “Theorising Conflict and Security”. In the photographs: Hugo Bras Martins, Kethlyn Gabi Winter and Caio Samuel Milagres.