Jurgen De Wispelaere and Eduardo Suplicy, at the Catholic University of São Paulo.

The Brazilian Basic Income Network (Rede Brasileira da Renda Básica) was finally formalized on the 26th of April, 2019. The organization had been formed in 2010, when the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) 13th Congress was organized in São Paulo, Brazil. At the time, BIEN members where received by Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Interest in basic income has been rising in Brazil, as well as around the world, and so a decision was made to formalize the Brazilian Basic Income Network, the Brazilian affiliate of BIEN. This was done at a meeting last Friday, where its new statutes and objectives were examined and its members elected. Also, study groups were also formed, in order to find ways to institute the Citizens Basic Income (in Brazil) as expressed in the Law 10.835/2004, approved by the National Congress and sanctioned by President Lula on January 8th, 2004.

The event was held at São Paulo’s City Council, in its Auditorium Sérgio Vieira de Melo, from 2 to 6:30 pm. Related to the event, two other speaking events were held in the city. On Thursday, April 25th, at the Catholic University of São Paulo, Jurgen De Wispelaere spoke about “Experiences of Basic Income in different places in the World” and on Friday 26th, at BookShop Tapera Taperá, Lena Lavinas presented a talk entitled “Citizen Basic Income: A Social Policy for the XXI?”, an initiative of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.