Cebri is preparing to open its new headquarters in Rio and plans to expand its activities

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• analysis: A quarter century of Brazilian contribution to global diplomacy

The 2,000-square-metre Grand Palace, located in the middle of a protected area of ​​the Atlantic Forest, began to be built in modular form in the 19th century and served as a residence for Jesuit priests and even as a home for the rector. After an extensive renovation – at a cost of R$9 million, raised from companies and individual donors – the space will serve as the headquarters for Cebri’s activities for the next 20 years.

— We have a plot of 7,000 square metres, a Burle Marx garden, with a sculpture garden. There is a small church where the great artist Vic Muniz will perform free works, which will definitely be a tourist attraction for Rio de Janeiro. “Now, we will have space to do activities, a hall, and big lunches,” Pio Borges said in an interview with Globo.

The space is designed to serve as a catalyst for the objectives of the Study Center, to reflect and dialogue on the inclusion of Brazil in the global context, to disseminate knowledge and to influence the formulation of public policies for national development.

– Today, it is clear that you have a multipolar world that matters to Brazil. Building a multipolar world in which you communicate not only with your traditional Western partners, the United States, Europe and South America itself, but also with new partners that have already emerged and are gaining increasing importance in our relationship, such as China, India, Korea, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The president added: “It is a new world that awakens in us a very great need and intellectual curiosity to know better, so that we do not miss the opportunity to ride this wave.”

The new headquarters structure has an auditorium for 100 people, adaptable spaces for meetings and round tables and a work area for more than 50 employees. The new expansion, scheduled for completion in 2027, aims to create 20 rooms to accommodate visiting researchers – a capacity that is in line with Seapri’s internationalization plans.

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– The Seabury team has improved a lot, especially in the last three years with three events. We had a very intense movement at the G20 summit, where we requested activities from 115 research institutions around the world. Brazil assumed the presidency of the BRICS (a bloc composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Indonesia), which also generated a series of international activities. We had very high expectations. And this year is COP30.

In addition to the proximity to the PUC campus, there are also other institutions dedicated to knowledge near the new headquarters, such as Jardim Botânico and Instituto Moreira Salles, opening the possibility of dialogue and cooperation through proximity. The presence of the institutions is part of the Gávea do Rio project, managed by the Catholic University, with the aim of bringing together institutions linked to scientific and cultural production and public policies in a circumference of just over 2.5 square kilometres.

Brazil’s relationship with China and the United States of America

The Brazilian Center for International Relations was founded by a group of diplomats and businessmen, with the aim of discussing topics of national interest and on the international agenda. Its founders include former chancellors Luiz Felipe Lambria and Celso Laver. The Research Center currently focuses on strengthening dialogue spaces between academia, the productive sector, the public sector and civil society, and discussing topics of great importance in contemporary debate.

-The world is completely different. When SEPRI was created, we had three main axes: the relationship with the United States, negotiations with the MTO and Mercosur, which was still in the development stage. There was no talk of China or Asia or anything like that. The world was different. Now, it’s a new world. There’s a book I really like, by Parag Khanna, called The Future is Asian. Or to put it another way, we are living through a century of Asian ascendancy. This new world generates, on the one hand, promises and, on the other hand, potential threats – as analyzed by Pio Borges.

One of Sipri’s biggest concerns, in addition to the issue of energy and climate transition, revolves around relations between Brazil and China and Brazil and the United States, which went through a period of turmoil in the first year of Donald Trump’s second administration.

– A relationship developed between President Trump and President Lula. So, I think it’s an issue (the recent relationship between Brazil and the United States, with Trump’s tariffs) that has been mitigated. After a quick meeting with Lula at the United Nations, Trump expressed his admiration for the Brazilian president, which led to a change of scene. Brazilian diplomacy, through the work of the private sector and Trump’s sensitivity to it, has achieved amazing results, he told GLOBO.

Pio Borges also states that since its inception, the primary goal of the SIBRI Center has been to promote the international integration of Brazil.

– 30 years ago, the environment was not a foreign policy issue. Today, the issue of climate and environment has completely invaded the priority of foreign policy issues, as happened with the issue of the energy transition. Brazil is ahead of this in terms of percentage of renewable energy sources, he said.

Another core activity of the Foundation is organizing debates on controversial topics, such as oil exploration in the tropical margin. These events were also held in São Paulo, Brasilia, and in Belém during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30). In 2025, Sipri participated in Climate Week in New York and also in London and was active in the creation of CEPAS, the network of think tanks in the Americas, deepening the regional dialogue.

– We are making a big effort to do more activities outside of Rio. In São Paulo, we recently had a meeting with Celso Amorim (Special Advisor for International Affairs at Palacio do Planalto), then a meeting with Michel Temer (former President) and we planned a meeting with Vice President Geraldo Alckmin. He concluded that our origins were in Rio de Janeiro and still are.