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International IDEA welcomes Brazil's Secretary-General for Foreign Affairs

June 11, 2026 • By Alexander Mayer
Ambassador Maria Laura da Rocha, Secretary-General for Foreign Affairs of Brazil and Secretary-General of International IDEA, Kevin Casas-Zamora.
International IDEA welcomed Ambassador Maria Laura da Rocha, Secretary-General for Foreign Affairs of Brazil, to its headquarters in Stockholm on 11 June 2026. She was accompanied by Ambassador Pedro Marcos de Castro Saldanha, Chief of Staff to the Secretary-General for Foreign Affairs, and Counsellor Gustavo José de Andrade Perez Garrido, Head of the Trade Promotion and Science and Technology Sections at the Embassy of Brazil in Sweden.

Brazil has been a Member State of International IDEA since 2016 and will assume the Chairship of the Institute's Council of Member States in 2028. The visit provided an opportunity to further strengthen engagement between International IDEA and Brazil in advance of this forthcoming leadership role.

Secretary-General Kevin Casas-Zamora and Ambassador da Rocha reviewed the longstanding partnership between International IDEA and Brazil, including the Institute's cooperation with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), and exchanged views on opportunities to deepen collaboration across a range of shared priorities. Discussions addressed democratic governance, electoral integrity, emerging technologies, South-South cooperation, and the growing relationship between climate and democracy following COP30 in Belém.

The meeting also explored avenues for closer engagement between International IDEA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including in preparation for Brazil's Chairship of the Council of Member States. Both sides reaffirmed the value of multilateral cooperation and international dialogue in support of democratic governance and resilient institutions.

"Brazil is one of International IDEA's most engaged members and an important partner in our work to strengthen democracy," said Secretary-General Kevin Casas-Zamora. "We are proud of our longstanding cooperation with Brazilian institutions, including with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), and look forward to deepening our partnership in the years ahead — including as Brazil prepares to assume the Chairship of International IDEA's Council of Member States in 2028." 

About the authors

Alexander Mayer
Resource Mobilization and Partnerships Officer
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