Taxi passing by street posters with the flags of BRICS countries in Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Rio City Hall.
Brazil has assumed the rotating presidency of the BRICS group at the 17th Leaders’ Summit to be held in Rio de Janeiro from July 6 to 7. Under the theme “Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance,” Brazil will seek to advance an agenda focused on development, peace, and climate justice from a multipolar perspective.
The BRICS bloc, originally comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has recently expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. At this summit, the absence of China’s President Xi Jinping is widely noted.
This expansion consolidates the group’s position as a global geoeconomic and political force, representing over 45% of the world’s population and a combined GDP that now exceeds that of the G7 in terms of purchasing power parity.
The 2025 Summit will be held in Brazil, giving Brasília a key role in steering the bloc’s political direction during this annual cycle.
Brazilian priorities: development, inclusion, and peace
The Brazilian presidency proposes two central priorities: first, promoting South-South cooperation as a way to overcome structural inequalities and build strategic autonomy; and second, consolidating BRICS alliances for balanced and sustainable economic, social, and environmental development.
Within this framework, Brazil has defined six key areas of action for this year:
1. Global health cooperation:
The Brazilian government proposes strengthening equitable access to medicines, vaccines, and health technologies, as well as enhancing the health sovereignty of the Global South vis-à-vis Western pharmaceutical companies.
2. Trade, investment, and finance:
The aim is to boost intra-bloc trade flows, expand the use of local currencies in international trade, and strengthen the New Development Bank (NDB) as an alternative to the IMF and World Bank.
3. Climate change:
Brazil proposes a coordinated BRICS position in multilateral forums focusing on climate justice, Amazon protection, green financing, and technology transfer.
4. Governance of artificial intelligence (AI):
In the face of technological hegemony from the North, Brazil is promoting global AI governance that respects human rights, cultural diversity, and sovereign development of its applications.
5. Multilateral architecture for peace and security:
Brazil advocates for structural reforms at the UN and Security Council, seeking to include new actors from the Global South and defend negotiated solutions to current conflicts.
6. Institutional development of BRICS
Progress is expected in consolidating the bloc’s operational structures, perfecting the expansion mechanism, and building a permanent secretariat.
Brazil’s presidency marks a turning point for BRICS, which seeks to transform itself from a forum for economic consultation into a truly alternative geopolitical platform. Growing tensions between the West and Eurasia, unequal access to emerging technologies, and the devastating effects of climate change on peripheral countries place the bloc in a key position to lead calls for a new, more democratic and equitable global architecture.
With active diplomacy, a strong commitment to multilateralism, and a focus on the peoples of the South, Brazil aims to turn this summit into a historic moment: the relaunch of BRICS as the driving force behind a more just global order.
(Telesur) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SF
