Focus on Arts and Ecology

30 October 2024 

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Initially comprised of Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China, and South Africa, the recently expanded alliance now also includes Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

BRICS Chair Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, highlighted the need to discuss the implementation of decisions taken at the 15th BRICS Summit: deeper financial cooperation within BRICS; and the bloc’s further expansion.

With regard to the latter, he said more than 30 nations “have expressed such aspirations in one form or another”.

In an effort to “strengthen[] multilateralism for a more just and democratic world order,” the BRICS bloc of developing countries has reaffirmed its commitment to multilateralism and international law as new centers of power, policy decision making, and economic growth endeavor to “pave the way for a more equitable, just, democratic and balanced multipolar world order.”

Initially comprised of Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China, and South Africa, the recently expanded alliance now also includes Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

The 16th BRICS Summit convened in Kazan, Russia, from 22-24 October 2024 under the theme, ‘Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security.’

Opening the BRICS Summit meeting in restricted format, BRICS Chair Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, highlighted the need to discuss the implementation of decisions taken at the 15th BRICS Summit: deeper financial cooperation within BRICS and the bloc’s further expansion. With regard to the latter, he said more than 30 nations “have expressed such aspirations in one form or another.” 

In his remarks, UN Secretary-General António Guterres underscored that “no single group and no single country can act alone or in isolation” to solve global challenges. Highlighting BRICS’ “very important role” in strengthening multilateralism for global development and security, he urged the bloc to contribute to four areas for action: finance; climate; technology; and peace.

At the Summit’s conclusion, the leaders adopted a 32-page outcome document titled, ‘Kazan Declaration.’ In it, the leaders reiterate their “commitment to improving global governance by promoting a more agile, effective, efficient, responsive, representative, legitimate, democratic and accountable international and multilateral system.”

Calling for greater and more meaningful participation of emerging markets and developing countries (EMDCs) and least developed countries (LDCs) in global decision-making processes, they reaffirm their support for a comprehensive reform of the UN, including its Security Council, to make it “more democratic, representative, effective and efficient” by increasing the representation of developing countries in its membership.

Noting “the universal and inclusive nature” of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs, the leaders underscore that their implementation “should take into account different national circumstances, capacities and levels of development,” respecting national policies, priorities, and legislation.

The declaration broadly outlines the bloc’s priorities for this year’s UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP 16), UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 29), and the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP 16).

The leaders highlight the Group of 20 (G20) as the premier global forum for multilateral economic and financial cooperation where both developed and emerging economies can meet “on an equal and mutually beneficial footing” to jointly seek shared solutions to global challenges. Emphasizing the need to reform the global financial architecture, the leaders stress the need to “address the international debt properly and in a holistic manner to support economic recovery and sustainable development,” including through predictable, orderly, timely, and coordinated implementation of the G20 Common Framework for Debt Treatment.

The declaration also: outlines the leaders’ priorities with regard to strengthening cooperation for global and regional stability and security, including through the enhanced BRICS dialogue on policy and security issues; and reaffirms the importance of BRICS’ people-to-people exchanges in enhancing mutual understanding, friendship, and cooperation for social and economic development.

As the 2025 chair of the alliance, Brazil will host the 17th BRICS Summit. [BRICS 2024 Russia] [UN News Story]

(Sources: International Institute for Sustainable Development)