- Overview
- Speakers
- Video
Over the past two decades, Brazil has emerged as a global benchmark in the fight against hunger and poverty, combining bold policies with operational excellence to achieve lasting results. From the internationally acclaimed Bolsa Família program to its pioneering Cadastro Único social registry and the extensive network of social services, Brazil has created an integrated system that has lifted millions out of extreme poverty and improved food security nationwide. One of its most notable achievements is the swift reduction of hunger after the pandemic, to the extent that Brazil no longer appears on the hunger map (FAO 2025). Governments and practitioners from around the world regularly visit Brazil on study tours to learn from its experiences. In 2024, during its G20 Presidency, the country launched the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty to provide comprehensive knowledge and financial support to nations seeking to implement national-scale policies and programs to combat hunger and poverty.
About the event:
In this special talk webinar, you will hear directly from the Minister of Development, Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger of Brazil, along with three of his top secretaries, as they share the strategies, innovations, and lessons learned that have shaped one of the most successful social protection models in the world.
The event will be in Portuguese with simultaneous interpretations to English, French, and Spanish.
Confirm your attendance here.
If you have any questions, please contact us at: splac@worldbank.org
Study Visit to Brazil - Introduction to Social Development Programs, Services and Systems
Date & Time:
Wednesday, September 17, 2025 | 9:00–10:30 AM ET | 10:00–11:30 AM BRT | 8:00–9:30 AM CST
Future events:
National Secretariat for Social Assistance, MDS
· October 15, 2025 – Postponed. New date TBD.
Secretariat for Evaluation, Information Management and Single Registry, MDS
· November 12, 2025
National Secretariat for Citizenship Income, MDS
· December 10, 2025
Minister Wellington Dias
Ministry of Social Development and Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger, MDS, Brazil
José Wellington Barroso de Araújo Dias is a prominent Brazilian politician with extensive experience in public administration, especially in the state of Piauí. He began his career as a banker and union leader before entering politics in 1992 as a city councilor in Teresina. Dias was the first federal deputy from the Workers’ Party (PT) in Piauí and served multiple terms as governor (2002, 2006, 2014, and 2018).
As governor, he led Piauí through significant improvements in human development, economic growth, job creation, and vaccination rates, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was instrumental in founding and leading the Northeast Consortium, which promotes sustainable development and integrated public policies across the region. Dias received national recognition for his leadership in health policy and pandemic response.
In 2022, he coordinated the National Governors’ Forum, was elected Senator for Piauí, and served as national coordinator for Lula’s presidential campaign. Throughout his trajectory, Wellington Dias has built a reputation for effective leadership and commitment to advancing public policy and regional development, qualities that he now brings to his role in the Ministry.
Eliane Aquino
National Secretary of Citizenship Income, MDS, Brazil
Eliane Aquino, National Secretary of Citizenship Income, is a former photojournalist with extensive experience in social inclusion initiatives in Sergipe. She led the NGO Missão Criança Aracaju (2001–2006), coordinated interdisciplinary government projects, and served as State Secretary for Inclusion, Assistance, and Social Development (2010–2015). Eliane was Vice-Mayor and Municipal Secretary of Social Assistance in Aracaju, and later Vice-Governor of Sergipe (2019–2022). Since 2021, she has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Perseu Abramo Foundation.
Rafael Osório
Secretary of Evaluation, Information Management and Cadastro Único social registry, MDS, Brazil
Rafael Guerreiro Osorio is the Secretary for Evaluation, Information Management, and the Single Registry at Brazil’s Ministry of Social Development. He holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Brasília and is a career researcher at the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea). Osorio has published studies on poverty and cash transfer programs and has extensive experience advising the Brazilian government and international organizations. He has held leadership roles at Ipea and was a research coordinator at the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth.
André Quintão
National Secretariat of Social Assistance, MDS, Brazil
André Quintão Silva is a social worker and sociologist who has been a member of the Workers' Party (PT) since the 1980s. A leader of the PT and the Democracy and Struggle Bloc in the Assembly, he has an extensive career in public service.
He served as the Municipal Secretary of Social Development for Belo Horizonte under former mayor Patrus Ananias (1994-96), and later as a city council member for two terms (1996-2002). He also held the position of State Secretary for Labor and Social Development (SEDESE) from 2015 to 2016, during which time he presided over the National Forum of State Secretaries of Social Assistance (FONSEAS).
Quintão is a licensed public policy analyst for the city, a position he obtained through a civil service exam. He is currently serving his fifth term as a state deputy in the Legislative Assembly of Minas Gerais.
Welcoming Words
William Wiseman
Social Protection and Labor Practice Manager for Latin America, World Bank
Moderator
Tiago Falcão Silva
Senior Social Protection Specialist and former Secretary of Bolsa Familia and Brasil Sem Miséria Programs, World Bank
Tiago Falcao joined the World Bank in 2020, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, working to support several national and subnational World Bank projects in Brazil and other countries in the region. For 25 years he worked for the Brazilian government in positions such as: Secretary of Management of the Ministry of Planning in 2010, and Social Advisor at the Civil Cabinet (from 2004 to 2008). He also worked at the Secretariat of Human Rights, and at the Ministries of Social Insurance, Pensions and Labor. In 2011 he was named head of the National Secretariat in charge of the Bolsa Familia Program. In 2012, he assumed the mission of coordinating the ambitious Brazil without Extreme Poverty Plan. In 2016 he became for the second time National Secretary of Citizenship Income. Under his leadership, the Bolsa Familia Program reached 14 million families and was recognized as one of the best targeted social assistance programs in the world. Tiago holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Universidade de Brasília (UnB) and a master’s degree in Economic Development from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp) and is a former Pacific Leadership Fellow at School of Global Policy and Strategy - UC San Diego.