BRICS Summit calls for more attention to the Global South

 Havana, July 6 (ACN) The leaders of the 11 member countries of the BRICS adopted a Declaration sealing the group’s commitment to strengthening multilateralism and emphasizing the importance of the Global South.

Released by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the final text of the 17th Summit of the organization summarizes year-long diplomatic discussions and establishes key positions on hot international issues, including the reform of the global governance system and a negotiated solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on recognized borders and peaceful dialogue.

One of the key points of the document is a "comprehensive reform" of the United Nations, with an emphasis on the modernization of the Security Council in order to make it more democratic, representative, and effective through a greater presence of developing countries, especially from Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

As to economic issues, the Declaration promotes the use of local currencies in transactions between the members, as well as the strengthening of its financial tools, namely the New Development Bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement.

The document welcomes the plans to launch, and encourages the funding of, the Tropical Forest Forever facility, designed to preserve biodiversity and support a just ecological transition with shared contributions.

Likewise, the signatories also acknowledge the expansion of the group’s membership from five to 11 full members with the inclusion of countries such as Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia.

The Declaration reaffirms BRICS, initially made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, as a collective force in favor of a more just, inclusive, and multipolar international order that responds to global challenges from a cooperative rather than hegemonic perspective.