In 2026, Brazil and the United Kingdom mark 200 years of diplomatic relations, a milestone that offers a timely opportunity to reflect on shared histories, urgent contemporary challenges, and future pathways for cooperation. Taking place amid Brazil’s 2026 general elections and in the immediate post-COP30 landscape following Brazil’s hosting of the climate conference in 2025, Brazil Week will convene leading scholars and practitioners to examine the political, social, and environmental transitions shaping the country today.
This year’s programme brings together outstanding speakers whose work illuminates Brazil’s evolving governance landscape through the lenses of public policy, insecurity, health, and urban conflict. The week will open with contributions from Ambassador Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, Brazil’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, and Andreza Aruska de Souza Santos, Director of the Brazil Institute, where the programme will take place. Sociologist Gabriel Feltran will be the opening keynote speaker. He will examine insecurity and criminal governance in Brazil’s cities, offering critical insight into how contemporary violence has been produced and what responses remain possible. Professor Léo Heller, former UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation, will explore the drivers and consequences of Brazil’s distinctive neoliberal experiment in water and sanitation policy, raising pressing questions about rights, inequality, and public accountability. Dr Sabrina Li, a spatial epidemiologist will trace Brazil’s vulnerability to arboviruses from colonial trade routes to modern epidemics, highlighting the intersections of environment, urbanisation, and health equity.