Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – July 7, 2025 – The 17th BRICS Summit, hosted by Brazil from July 6-7, 2025, has concluded with significant resolutions and an expanded membership that signals a determined push towards a more multipolar world. Under the resonant theme, "Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance," the summit's outcomes emphasize a collective effort to reform international institutions, address global challenges with a Global South perspective, and forge new pathways for economic cooperation.
The Rio Declaration: A Comprehensive Call for Systemic Change
The Rio Declaration (download the full text here: https://brics.br/en/documents/presidency-documents/250705-brics-leaders-declaration-en.pdf/@@download/file) serves as the summit's most crucial output. It's not just a statement of principles but a detailed outline of BRICS' collective aspirations for a more equitable international system.
Reforming Global Governance: A Core Demand: At the heart of the Rio Declaration is an emphatic call for the reform of global governance institutions. BRICS leaders reiterated the urgent need to make the United Nations, particularly its Security Council, more democratic, representative, effective, and efficient. This includes pushing for increased representation for developing countries, especially from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, in both permanent and non-permanent seats. This reflects a consistent demand from the Global South to rectify the historical power imbalances embedded in post-World War II international structures. The declaration also called for a reform of the Bretton Woods Institutions (like the IMF and World Bank) to enhance their legitimacy and reflect the increasing weight of emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) in the global economy.
Economic Cooperation Beyond the Dollar: The summit deepened discussions on enhancing economic, trade, and financial cooperation among BRICS members and beyond. A significant aspect of this is the continued exploration of using national currencies in mutual settlements and developing alternative payment instruments. This aligns with a broader trend among some BRICS nations to reduce reliance on the US dollar in international trade, a move gaining traction amidst geopolitical tensions. The discussions on the New Development Bank's role in facilitating these financial innovations were particularly prominent.
Addressing Global Threats: Terrorism and Unilateralism: The Declaration strongly condemned the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India, underscoring BRICS commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It urged the swift finalization of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism within the UN framework. Furthermore, the leaders expressed deep concern over the imposition of unilateral coercive measures, such as economic sanctions, highlighting their negative implications for human rights and their inconsistency with international law and the UN Charter. This point was particularly emphasized in relation to the Middle East, with leaders expressing grave concern over the situation in the "Occupied Palestinian territory" and condemning recent attacks on Iran, both BRICS members. This reflects a growing assertiveness from BRICS in challenging what they perceive as geopolitical coercion.
The Expanding Influence: New Members and Partners
The 2025 BRICS Summit will be remembered for its significant expansion, showcasing the growing appeal and ambition of the bloc.
Indonesia's Full Membership: The formal inclusion of Indonesia as a full BRICS member is a strategic win for the bloc. Indonesia, as the largest economy in Southeast Asia and the world's fourth most populous country, brings substantial economic weight and geopolitical influence. This move not only expands BRICS' geographical footprint but also strengthens its representation of diverse emerging economies.
Read more about Indonesia's accession: https://www.wionews.com/world/brics-summit-2025-indonesia-becomes-full-member-belarus-uzbekistan-and-others-named-partners-1751863905146
A Broader Circle of Partners: The formal recognition of ten new BRICS partner countries—Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Uganda, and Uzbekistan—signifies a concerted effort to create a wider network of cooperation. This "BRICS Plus" format allows for flexible engagement and collaboration on specific issues, potentially laying the groundwork for future full memberships and enhancing the bloc's overall global reach.
New Development Bank: A Growing Alternative in Global Finance
The New Development Bank (NDB), often seen as BRICS' answer to traditional Western-dominated financial institutions, continues its trajectory of expansion and increasing relevance.
Colombia and Uzbekistan Join the NDB: Crucially, Colombia and Uzbekistan officially became new member countries of the NDB. This expansion, announced by NDB President Dilma Rousseff, brings the bank's total membership to eleven (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, UAE, Bangladesh, Egypt, Algeria, Colombia, and Uzbekistan). The NDB aims to provide crucial infrastructure and sustainable development financing to its members without imposing the stringent conditionalities often associated with institutions like the IMF and World Bank. Rousseff emphasized that the NDB operates on a principle of equality among members, where "every voice is heard."
https://tvbrics.com/en/news/colombia-and-uzbekistan-become-official-members-of-new-development-bank/
Collaborative Solutions for Global Challenges: Climate, AI, and Health
Beyond geopolitical and economic shifts, the summit also focused on practical cooperation in critical global domains:
Climate Finance and Green Initiatives: The adoption of the BRICS Leaders' Framework Declaration on Climate Finance is a significant step. It outlines a collective approach to mobilize predictable, equitable, accessible, and affordable climate finance, crucial for developing countries undertaking just transitions to greener economies. This framework is particularly relevant as Brazil gears up to host COP30 in Belém in November 2025. BRICS also recognized the "United for Our Forests" initiative and India's proposal to form an International Big Cats Alliance, promoting cooperation on biodiversity conservation.
https://static.poder360.com/2025/07/Declaracao-conjunta-trilha-financas-brics-2025.pdf
Responsible AI Governance: For the first time, artificial intelligence (AI) governance took a prominent place on the BRICS agenda. The BRICS Leaders' Statement on the Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence highlights the need for AI development and deployment to be responsible, ethical, and inclusive, benefiting all nations, particularly those in the Global South. It stresses the importance of a UN-led framework for AI governance that respects national sovereignty and includes capacity-building support for developing countries.
Health Equity: Combating Socially Determined Diseases: The endorsement of the BRICS Partnership for the Elimination of Socially Determined Diseases reflects a commitment to addressing health disparities rooted in social and economic inequalities. This initiative aims for coordinated, cross-sectoral action against diseases disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations.
Further details on the health partnership (mention in the context of BRICS Health Ministers' Declaration): https://www.who.int/news/item/18-06-2025-ending-tb-in-the-spotlight-in-landmark-brics-health-ministers--declaration
Leadership and the Road Ahead for India
While Chinese President Xi Jinping's absence and Russian President Vladimir Putin's virtual participation garnered attention, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi played a central role, actively engaging in bilateral meetings and advocating for the Global South. India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also held extensive bilateral talks with her counterparts on the sidelines, discussing economic cooperation and NDB matters.
India is set to take over the BRICS Chairship in January 2026 and will host the 18th BRICS Summit. This offers India a significant opportunity to shape the bloc's agenda further, building on the momentum from Rio. India's priorities are expected to include continued emphasis on reforming global financial institutions, climate action, and greater representation for developing countries in multilateral forums. The BRICS nations also expressed support for India's bid to host COP33 in 2028, showcasing growing collaboration on climate leadership.
* Read about India's upcoming Chairship and COP33 bid: https://ddnews.gov.in/en/brics-nations-support-indias-bid-to-host-cop-33-call-for-stronger-climate-action/
The 17th BRICS Summit has undeniably underscored the bloc's evolving nature and its increasing determination to influence global governance. With its expanded membership and comprehensive agenda, BRICS is poised to continue advocating for a world order that better reflects the collective aspirations and growing influence of the Global South.