VI BRICS Academin Forum

The Alexandre de Gusmão Foundation (FUNAG) received with great satisfaction the invitation by the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada – Ipea) to participate in the VI BRICS Academic Forum, which took place in Rio de Janeiro, on March 17 to 19, 2014. I also welcomed the opportunity to co-edit the compilation of the papers presented during the Forum and, as requested by Professor Renato Baumann, to write this brief introduction.

FUNAG is a Brazilian think-tank linked to the Ministry of External Relations with the objective of organizing and promoting cultural and educational activities in the areas of international relations and Brazilian Diplomatic History. It also undertakes studies and research initiatives on problems pertaining to those fields, having in mind generating widespread knowledge of Brazilian foreign policy. It contributes to a better public understanding of international issues and to the preservation of Brazil’s diplomatic heritage.

FUNAG is the leading Brazilian institution in terms of the number of books published in the field of foreign policy, international relations and Brazilian diplomatic history. It has published over a thousand titles in the past ten years, in Portuguese, English and Spanish. The Foundation donates a percentage of its books to scholars, academic institutions and libraries in Brazil and abroad, and its bibliographic collection is available for free download. This has significantly increased its capacity to generate wide access to knowledge and promote understanding. One can say that it democratizes the access to literature necessary to the comprehension of international relations in a world of globalization and growing interdependence.

It is therefore with pleasure and enthusiasm that FUNAG collaborated to the meetings of the BRICS Think Tanks Council and the BRICS Academic Forum in Rio de Janeiro. The Foundation’s goal was to cooperate with Ipea and the participants from the countries and entities represented in the Council and the Forum, so as to ensure the success of these meetings and the appreciation of their role as a means of reflection, research and debate on themes of common interest to the members of the BRICS