This Wednesday afternoon (1), Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, together with the Secretary for International Business, Lucas Ferraz, and the Secretary for the Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics, Natália Resende, spoke with the four ambassadors of the Nordic countries, Odd Magne Rudd (Norway), Karin Wallensteen (Sweden), Johanna Karanko (Finland) and Eva Pedersen (Denmark).
The four nations share the same values ??and work together on different fronts, which is the reason for the joint agenda with the Government of the State of São Paulo.
Governor and ambassadors identified many areas for future cooperation, such as education, digital government, gender equality, energy transition, circular economy, technology, studies for 6G, cybersecurity, research & innovation, Artificial Intelligence, health, aeronautics, among others (more information at the end of the text).
“The Nordic countries are a reference in transparency, well-being and management. All this adheres to the vision of the future of the State of São Paulo. We want to make citizens’ lives less bureaucratic, make education more egalitarian and for that we have to mirror ourselves in you”, said the governor.
Tarcísio spoke about the role of the Secretariat for International Business in attracting investors and formulating public policies to facilitate and promote trade. He also explained the role of the Secretariat for Partnerships in Investments, especially for infrastructure and privatization projects, and the Secretariat for the Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics, whose priority is to ensure that sustainability is transversal to all State projects.
Approximation – Secretary Lucas Ferraz proposed a joint agenda between the Government of the State of São Paulo and the Scandinavian business community to present the programs that the secretariats are developing: “in a conservative estimate, we have around 500 Nordic companies in the state of São Paulo. Our government agenda will allow for their expansion and the attraction of new businesses”, he explained.
Secretary Natália Resende commented on the creation of two instruments of interest to the countries: the Ecological-Economic Zoning, public policy for the sustainable development of the state, and the Climate Action Plan, with mitigation strategies for sectors such as transport, agriculture, forests, energy and land use. “It is a propitious moment for us to move forward together”, he declared.
Check out some of the areas in which the state of São Paulo and the Nordic countries already work together or intend to cooperate:
Education: partnerships with universities and research centers for innovation
Digital Government: sharing know-how with the state of São Paulo
Research and Innovation: studies for 6G (already in progress), Artificial Intelligence, Smart Cities and cybersecurity
Biogas: Sweden is currently funding a study with the State of São Paulo on biogas
Energy transition: wind energy, green hydrogen and carbon capture
Circular economy: the sugarcane cycle is an example – it can transform itself into fertilizer and biomethane
