Brazil’s G20 leadership offers glimmers of hope for global health equity

Abstract

The Rio de Janeiro declarations chart possibilities in an era of inequity, war, climate change, and pandemics, but their shortfalls must be acknowledged, write Deisy Ventura and colleagues On 31 October 2024, the G20 health ministers met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, following a series of preparatory meetings held throughout 2024. A recent series in The BMJ suggested priorities for Brazil’s G20 leadership.123 Brazil is taking this opportunity to advance global health diplomacy, but its leadership will need to go beyond formal declarations to address health inequity from a global south perspective. The Rio meeting produced two unanimously adopted declarations. The main, more general, one4 revisits elements from the G20 health declaration issued in 2023.5 These goals include building “more resilient, equitable, sustainable, and inclusive health systems” and implementing universal health coverage in the short term, and reaffirming commitments to the sustainable development goals. The 2024 version introduces new sections on health workforce shortages inequities and the problem of post-covid syndrome, which are welcome additions to overcoming pandemic inequalities. The declaration’s highlight is the launch of the Global Coalition for Local and Regional Production, Innovation, and Equitable Access, with …