Brazil in the counterflow of history

November 2020

Brazil has a long tradition in the so-called health diplomacy. For example, in the mid 1990s the country  was an important player in international debates on whether antiretroviral drugs for HIV treatment were commodities or public goods.

However, the article Foreign policy, diplomacy and global health in pandemic times published in preprint at Scielo library argues that in the case of covid-19, Brazil is acting far below its diplomatic tradition.

Researchers Alexandre Andrade Alvarenga (UFRJ), Erika Maria Sampaio Rocha (UFSB), Jonathan Filippon (QMUL) and Maria Angelica Carvalho Andrade (Ufes) analyses the international performance of Brazil related to the new coronavirus pandemic, taking into consideration the strategic role of foreign policy and the historic Brazilian diplomatic participation in multilateral forums, including global health.  It analyzes how Brazilian foreign policy is responding to the main domestic and international challenges related to fighting the pandemic and the country’s economic recovery, highlighting its social consequences. Read more about health diplomacy in HCS-Manguinhos:

Health diplomacy in Africa It addresses regional dynamics in health diplomacy between 1920 and 1960. The article explores the alignments, divergences, and outcomes with respect to the strategies and policies pursued by colonial powers and independent African states.