BRICS - Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security
By Jay Woods
The BRICS alliance of Emerging Markets and Developing Countries took a major step forward at its 16th summit held in the Russian city of Kazan on October 22-24. Following decisions taken at last year’s summit in South Africa, a total of nine countries took part as full members for the first time, with Ethiopia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran joining Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. BRICS now represents nearly half of the global population. A total of 36 countries participated in the summit, along with the leaders of six international organisations, which included Antonio Guterres, United Nations General Secretary.
While in Russia, Guterres met with Vladimir Putin and, despite his strong condemnation of Russia’s action in Ukraine, Guterres was attacked by Ukraine and its western backers for going to the summit at all. In the face of this the fact that Guterres did attend underlines the continuing shift in world affairs with the growing importance of BRICS, the imperialist powers increasingly isolated, and the Global South pulling together and asserting itself.
UNITED NATIONS
Furthermore, the United Nations and its bodies have become a renewed arena for struggle with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice both finding that Israel has a case to answer for violating international law and committing genocide. It is a powerful signal that the ICC has issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. This sits alongside the many UN resolutions declaring Israel to be in breach of international law
This was taken further forward by a wide-ranging resolution passed by the UN General Assembly in September, when the UK abstained. (1) Among other things the resolution demanded that Israel “bring to an end its unlawful presence” in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Measures it demanded from the international community included: that the Secretary General bring forward proposals to pursue Israel’s violations of the UN Convention on the elimination of racism and apartheid; a call on member states to cease imports from the occupied territories, to stop arms exports where they might be used in the occupied territories, and to initiate sanctions against individuals and bodies maintaining the occupation of Palestinian land.
BRICS PAY
Countries of the Global South have increasingly been subject to the coercive use of sanctions by the West, particularly the United States. In the declaration from the Kazan summit the BRICS nations stated: “We are deeply concerned about the disruptive effect of unlawful unilateral coercive measures, including illegal sanctions, on the world economy, international trade, and the achievement of the sustainable development goals. Such measures undermine the UN Charter, the multilateral trading system, the sustainable development and environmental agreements. They also negatively impact economic growth, energy, health and food security, exacerbating poverty and environmental challenges.” (2)
With a view to challenging this and underlining the shift from a US-dominated world order, BRICS announced the introduction of a new inter-bank payment and information exchange system – BRICS Pay - as an alternative to the Western SWIFT system. This is a practical step towards meeting the objectives of BRICS to support economic collaboration and trade between members and to make countries less vulnerable to Western coercion. Or as Norman Lamont, former UK Chancellor, said recently in the House of Lords, “If [BRICS pay] ever happened, it would be a major threat to the West-led financial system, but above all it would make it impossible for the West to impose sanctions on countries like Russia, China or Iran or other malign countries.”
NEW PARTNERS AND STRONGER COOPERATION
In a further development at the summit, a new category of “partner countries” was formally initiated which is seen as a stepping stone to full membership for the several dozen countries that have expressed an interest in joining. An initial tranche of 13 countries was invited to be partners in Kazan. Partners will have observer status and get support from BRICS. The new partners in BRICS are: Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
On October 23rd, the nine full BRICS members adopted the Kazan Declaration, Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security. Running to a little over 13,300 words, and with 134 clauses, the declaration covers a vast number of subjects and itself reflects and reinforces the growing – although not without challenges – cohesiveness of key players in the Global South.
It states: “As we build upon 16 years of BRICS Summits, we further commit ourselves to strengthening cooperation in the expanded BRICS under the three pillars of political and security, economic and financial, cultural and people-to-people cooperation and to enhancing our strategic partnership for the benefit of our people through the promotion of peace, a more representative, fairer international order, a reinvigorated and reformed multilateral system, sustainable development and inclusive growth.” It further notes the emergence of new centres of power, policy decision-making and economic growth, which can pave the way for a more equitable, just, democratic and balanced multipolar world order.
The declaration reaffirms support for a comprehensive reform of the United Nations, including its Security Council, with a view to making it more democratic, representative, effective and efficient. It also advocates for an increased representation of developing countries in the Council’s membership so that it can adequately respond to prevailing global challenges. Such a move would also support the legitimate aspirations of emerging and developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America, including BRICS countries, to play a greater role in international affairs, in particular in the United Nations and its Security Council.
There were also significant bi-lateral meetings at the summit, improving relationships between members including where there have been tensions. These meetings were: China-Russia, India-China, India-Iran and Russia-South Africa.
The BRICS nations constitute a very varied group, each has its own history and interests. They certainly are not in accord about everything, and there are tensions and negatives as well as the positives, but the Kazan summit demonstrated a will among the members to work better together in the financial, economic and diplomatic spheres to advance the interests of each and all in the face of increasing US and Western bullying.
BRICS summit 2024 photo by Press office of Azerbaijan
A total of 36 countries participated in the summit, along with the leaders of six international organisations, which included Antonio Guterres, United Nations General Secretary.
