UBI for Brazil: The answer to Pope Francis' call

Pope sends message of hope to Brazil's poor.

Pope Francis tells slum dwellers of Manguinhos that world's rich must do much more to wipe out vast inequalities.

"No one can remain insensitive to the inequalities that persist in the world," he said.

Brazilians can help themselves by reactivating their universal basic income. UBI.

Brazil passed an unconditional basic income law in 2004 but until today has not begun any unconditional basic income distribution. In contrast to the slow progress in Brazil, Mongolia passed their citizen ownership dividend law in 2009 (Human Development Fund) and has been paying citizen dividend since then.

"In Brazil, President Lula´s law 10,835 from 2004 says that “A monthly benefit enough for the basic needs of a person will be paid equally to all.  This basic income is to be instated by steps, taking care first of the most in need.” This law is still unregulated but the government, immediately after, created the successful Bolsa Familia (BF) program. Law 10,835 is unique in the world and needs to be regulated as to the steps to be taken to gradually universalize the benefit." OPINION: A Three-Step Proposal to Get to a Basic Income For All Brazilians | Basic Income News (2013, binews.org)

"No progress has been made toward implementing a basic income since then." (Citizens for Public Justice, 2009)

"The poor were in fact supported by the Bolsa Familia program but the universal and unconditional part was left to anyone’s suggestion. We are supporting the idea to start the universal and unconditional basic income with all newborns in Brazil, starting in the near future." (by Francisco G. Nobrega, from  Basicincome.be, 2013)