Lula received an enthusiastic welcome as hundreds of people packed the pavilion of Brazilian Amazon states in the seaside resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, greeting the leftist leader with applause and selfies.

The president-elect, whose previous term was from 2003 to 2010, is expected to inject much needed momentum into the COP27 climate talks in his first international trip since defeating far-right incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro, who presided over years of rampant Amazon deforestation.

"I am here to say to all of you that Brazil is back in the world," Lula said. "Brazil was not born to be an isolated country.

"We will put up a very strong fight against illegal deforestation," he said.

Lula announced the creation of a ministry of Indigenous people, vowing to "take very good care" of the region's communities.

Under Bolsonaro, a staunch ally of agribusiness, average annual deforestation increased 75 percent compared to the previous decade.

Lula said he would ask UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for the 2025 COP meeting to be held in Brazil.

"And in Brazil it has to be in the Amazon," said Lula, who suggested that the states of Amazonia and Para both have the infrastructure to host it.