KEYIR NEWS - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:– The 17th BRICS Summit opened on 6 July in Rio de Janeiro, marking a critical juncture for the expanded bloc as it attempts to position itself as a viable counterweight to Western-dominated global institutions.
With China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin notably absent, the summit underscores both the promise and the friction within the increasingly diverse alliance.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, attending the summit for the first time as a full BRICS member, held bilateral discussions centred on climate resilience, trade integration, and financial access. His presence symbolises Ethiopia’s intent to amplify the voice of low-income economies within the bloc’s evolving multilateral agenda.
In his remarks, Abiy emphasised the importance of equitable access to development finance and underscored Africa’s role in shaping a fairer global order.
Since Ethiopia’s admission to the bloc in 2024, reiterated his government’s commitment to South-South cooperation and multilateral reform.
Bloc convenes in Rio amid expansion to 11 members, growing Global South influence, and mounting internal divergences. The Summit commenced under Brazil’s rotating chairmanship, with leaders convening to recalibrate the bloc’s trajectory amidst growing internal diversity and shifting geopolitical landscapes.
Chaired by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the summit unfolds under the theme “Inclusive and Sustainable Global South”, reflecting Brazil’s commitment to championing the concerns of emerging economies in global governance.
The gathering arrives on the heels of the bloc’s historic enlargement in 2024, which saw the inclusion of six new members, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, expanding BRICS to a 11-member collective representing nearly half the global population and over 40 percent of GDP by purchasing power parity.
Notably, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are absent from the summit, with Premier Li Qiang representing China, while Putin joins proceedings virtually. Their nonattendance, observers argue, underscores the growing complexity within the bloc, now grappling with competing political alignments and economic priorities.
Despite these absences, the summit has centred around critical themes including UN Security Council reform, global health equity, local currency trade settlements, and pathways for AI governance.
Brazil has emphasised the need for greater representation of the Global South in multilateral institutions such as the IMF and World Bank, while simultaneously avoiding confrontational language towards the United States amidst threats of steep tariffs.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and newly elected Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto are in attendance, alongside Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Bilateral and trilateral engagements on the sidelines are expected to focus on climate financing, BRICS Pay interoperability, and debt restructuring frameworks.
While the group maintains a rhetorical commitment to multilateralism and sovereignty, the growing diversity of political systems and strategic interests within BRICS may test its coherence in delivering a unified global alternative.
The final communiqué, expected on 7 July, is anticipated to underscore the bloc’s evolving identity as a counterbalance to Western-led forums, even as internal divergences grow increasingly visible.