The CSIS Global Health Policy Center hosted a half-day seminar focused on the activities, practices, and strategies that characterize the global health outreach of Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa, or the BRICS. 

 

Since the term BRIC was coined in 2001 to describe the dynamic economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China, the BRIC governments have become increasingly influential within the global health arena. Whether working bilaterally, as members of the BRICS alliance, which incorporated South Africa in 2011, or in other configurations such as IBSA or BASIC, these governments are using their wealth and status to influence the outcome of global health policy discussions and to support overseas health activities. 

 

Over the past year, CSIS has worked with locally-based research centers in each of the BRICS to support shared research, facilitate discussion, and disseminate policy analysis to encourage greater understanding of the ways in which approaches to global health policy and cooperation are changing. Building on the outcomes of workshops held in Beijing, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro, and Johannesburg, the December 6 seminar will feature expert panelists whose presentations will highlight how each nation conceptualizes its current and future health outreach; identify new and evolving trends with respect to regional, South-South, and trilateral health cooperation; and articulate an agenda for future discussion and research.