Event promoted by Itaipu Binacional featured the participation of the prime minister and special envoy for women’s issues, Janja Lula da Silva
The side event “Advancing Sustainable Community Kitchens in Brazil”, promoted by Itaipu Binacional during COP30 in Belém (PA) this Thursday (14th), featured the participation of the First Lady and special envoy for women’s issues at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Janja Lula da Silva, and brought together dozens of people.
The discussion, moderated by Itaipu Binacional’s gender coordinator, Victória Pedro Corrêa, elevated the topic of sustainable community kitchens to a national model that can be scaled globally with a focus on food security, social inclusion, and the circular economy in the context of the global climate crisis.
During her speech, Janja emphasized the importance of combating “energy poverty,” which affects millions of women around the world, preventing them from cooking in a safe and clean way. “This happens when women do not have access to any type of energy that allows them to cook their food. A basic daily task—feeding their family and cooking for them,” she explained.
The First Lady mentioned the case of women who walk kilometers to gather firewood, exposing themselves to various risks, and drew a parallel to the Brazilian reality, where many families still rely on improvised wood stoves. She highlighted the importance of projects such as solidarity kitchens promoted by Itaipu.
Janja, who is the creator of the pilot project Sustainable Community Kitchens, said that the idea of using biodigesters for gas production was inspired by the testimony of an 80-year-old woman who said she used waste from the community where she lived to produce cooking gas. The next step was adapting the biodigesters developed by Itaipu and installed in rural properties in the Foz do Iguaçu region for use in community kitchens.
Across the country, there are already seven sustainable community kitchens, such as the Mãos de Mulher Kitchen in Ananindeua (PA), which received support from Itaipu with equipment, full renovation, a community garden, and a biodigester that produces gas using leftovers from prepared meals and other materials.
The representative of the Mãos de Mulher Community Kitchen, Lenina Aragão, thanked the partnership and highlighted the transformation the project brought to the community. “We will no longer cook with dirty gas; we see this energy coming from our partners. Without this, it would be very difficult for us to exist and fight every day,” she said.
The prime minister also recalled that social justice and climate adaptation go hand in hand, and that supporting community-based initiatives is the most effective way to promote sustainable development and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The panel, held at the Federal Government’s booth in the Green Zone, also featured the participation of the Secretary for Food and Nutritional Security of the Ministry of Social Development and Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger, Lílian dos Santos Rahal; the Secretary for Social Participation of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, Izadora Gama Brito; the advisor to the Minister of Mines and Energy, Adriana de Souza Oliveira; and the executive director of Cáritas Brasileira, Valquíria Lima.
