Fiocruz researcher joins G20 scientists' summit

On July 1st and 2nd, the Science20 Summit, the G20 engagement group for science and technology, met in Rio de Janeiro to formulate the basis of the official communiqué that will be addressed to the heads of state and other authorities of the 19 largest economies in the world, the European Union, and the African Union, at the November meeting in Brazil. Science20 is made up of the national science academies of the G20 countries and promotes a dialog between the scientific community and policymakers. Similar to the G20, the S20 has a rotating secretariat. This year, the discussions are chaired by the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC), in the form of its president, Helena Nader, who has set five priority topics and appointed a multidisciplinary working group for each. The groups met throughout the first half of the year and drew up their recommendations, which were presented during the summit. The working group Challenges in Health: Quality, Equity, Access, and Preparedness for Epidemics and Climate Change was led by the head of the Immunopharmacology Laboratory at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz), Patricia Torres Bozza, full member of ABC since 2013.

IOC/fiocruz researcher Patricia Bozza (center) next to representatives of social groups and G20 delegates. (photo: Audiovisual/G20)

According to Patricia, the only woman in a leadership position among the five S20 groups, in order to address global health challenges, the recommendations were outlined with a focus on promoting equity and access to health, improving disease prevention and preparedness for outbreaks and epidemics, advancing digital health, prioritizing mental health, and tackling the health impacts of climate and environmental changes. “The proposed recommendations aim to develop a more equitable, sustainable and resilient health system, emphasizing preventive health and healthy lifestyles, particularly in vulnerable communities,” said the expert in her presentation. 

Among the points highlighted by the group, made up of ten scientists from various fields of knowledge, was the premise that achieving universal health coverage with an emphasis on equity, community involvement and participation has the potential to drive improvements in various aspects of health, encompassing mental health, the management of infectious and non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, as well as issues of population development and longevity. In an increasingly technological world, they emphasized that effective communication strategies are necessary to disseminate reliable information about health and well-being and to tackle misinformation. They also stressed the importance of the One Health approach, which recognizes the interdependencies between people, animals and ecosystems, to address the complex interactions between climate change, environmental factors and health.  

The other working groups discussed Artificial Intelligence, Bioeconomy, Energy Transition and Social Justice. The final document is expected to be released in the second half of this month. 

In addition to Brazil, the S20 Summit brought together representatives from the Academies of Sciences of South Africa, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, South Korea, the United States, France, Japan, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Turkey and the Academia Europaea, representing the European Union. International scientific organizations such as the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), the International Science Council (ISC), the Inter-American Network of Academies of Sciences (Ianas), the Association of Academies and Societies of Sciences of Asia (Aassa) and the Advisory Council of the European Academies (Easac) were also present at the meeting. 

On July 4th, Patricia Bozza, representing S20 President Helena Nader, took part in an unprecedented meeting that brought together the 13 engagement groups of the Social G20 with the G20 delegates. Patricia presented a summary of the recommendations of each task force. At the end, the leaders of the nations commented on the proposals, deepening the debates on the proposed topics.

*With information from the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and G20