A Brazilian foreign policy in health? The role of health in the Brazilian foreign affairs

Abstract

Nowadays, health became a subject studied by International Relations analysts. Related to economics, security and social justice issues, health started being debated as part of countries' foreign policy formulation. Brazil recognizes the importance of health on its foreign policy, signing the Oslo Ministerial Declaration (2007) on Foreign Policy and Global Health and including the theme in different international negotiation contexts, both bilateral - for instance, on the South-South Cooperation with African States - and multilateral - as happens with the Union of South-American Nations or with the India, Brazil and South Africa Dialogue Forum. Moreover, due to the fact that health is a constitutional right in Brazil, the country holds a political framework that encompasses the development of international health cooperation. Establishing the concept of health structured cooperation, Brazil emphasizes the cooperation that strengthens sanitary institutions of different countries. The main objective of this study is to analyze if there is a specific foreign policy in health in Brazil, inquiring which are its components, actors and principles. Moreover, there will be an attempt to study if the Brazilian international action in health converges to the principles that the country's Unified Health System underpins. (AU)