Professor Paulo Esteves, from Rio de Janeiro-based think tank BRICS Policy Center, told Xinhua that no data is available yet on how the current crisis has affected Brazilian cooperation programs, but it is certain that some new projects will be halted and existing programs may be cut to some extent.

However, the expert said Brazil has strong South-South cooperation ties through several institutions and that their programs are able to weather a crisis.

Moreover, Esteves said the most pressing issue is not the crisis itself, which affects the budget for international cooperation programs, but how cooperation efforts should be organized.

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