Remarks by Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen at the Goeldi Museum in Belém, Brazil

As Prepared for Delivery Good afternoon. I am very glad to be here at the Goeldi Museum with Inter-American Development Bank President Ilan Goldfajn and Governor Helder Barbalho and to have spent the day engaging with ministers from the region and leaders from the IDB and the private sector. I have seen today and throughout my week in Brazil the value of three key aspects of the Treasury Department’s approach to advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s international climate and nature and biodiversity agenda: strengthening relationships with allies and partners; making the international financial architecture work better for countries; and harnessing the power of markets. But before I speak about each of these aspects, let me step back. Here in Belém, with the Amazon rainforest close by, the importance of our collective work is palpable and undeniable. Climate change poses a daily and existential threat to individuals, communities, and countries.