BRICS Leaders Convene for Annual Summit in Brazil

Approximately 4,000 individuals from 37 member nations, partner countries, and international organizations are anticipated to participate in the event.

The 17th annual BRICS summit has commenced in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the current holder of the bloc’s rotating presidency. The two-day summit will focus on issues such as global development and governance, international policy, and cooperation across multiple nations.

While an official list of attendees hasn’t been released, Brazilian authorities project over 4,000 participants from 37 nations, including high-ranking officials from member states, partner countries, and international organizations.

Brazil has identified six key areas for this year’s discussions: international cooperation on health matters; trade, investment, and financial matters; climate change; AI governance; reforms to the multilateral system for peace and security; and organizational advancement within BRICS. Rio’s Deputy Mayor, Eduardo Cavalieri, mentioned the city’s formal offer to accommodate a permanent BRICS headquarters.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is attending in person on behalf of Russia, while President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to participate in the summit’s main session via a video link.

Prime Minister Li Qiang is leading the Chinese delegation, as President Xi Jinping is unavailable due to a “scheduling conflict,” making this his first absence from the summit in 12 years. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will also be absent. Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa have already arrived, and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is also slated to attend.

BRICS was established in 2009 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa becoming a member in 2011. Over the past year, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, the UAE, and Indonesia were admitted as full members. The bloc now accounts for almost half of the world’s population and roughly 40% of global GDP based on purchasing power parity, exceeding the G7 nations. During last year’s summit in Kazan, Russia, the group created a new ‘partner country’ status following increasing interest from over 30 countries seeking membership.

The summit’s central event, a plenary session titled ‘Strengthening Multilateralism, Economic-Financial Affairs, and Artificial Intelligence,’ is scheduled for 4 p.m. local time (7 p.m. GMT) on Sunday.

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