Summary:
- The coronavirus pandemic illuminated the need for careful global reflection on the value of health diplomacy in BRICS.
- COVID-19 vaccine development presented BRICS with immense potential for health cooperation, but this opportunity was missed.
- There were no clear ‘all-BRICS’ partnerships that emerged in the COVID-19 response and vaccine development.
- The potential opportunity to cooperate on inclusive policies and to deepen BRICS epidemic cooperation and health diplomacy was missed.
- There were visible late starts in research collaborations that would have provided useful insights into response mechanisms and vaccine development and there were no health sector-specific institutions to drive health cooperation.
- To enhance health diplomacy, BRICS should enhance its science diplomacy, specifically knowledge transfer and technology diffusion.
- The bloc should consider having a collaborative think tank on health and medicine, as well as a joint research centre to enhance science diplomacy.
