Your Excellency President Xi,
Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government,

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to our Chair for continuing the BRICS tradition of meaningful engagement with like-minded emerging markets and developing economies.

We all share a desire for increased representation and a progressive perspective in global governance institutions.

We share a common history of struggle against imperialism, colonialism, exploitation and continued underdevelopment.

Our ties of solidarity were forged at the Bandung Conference in 1955, which culminated in the formation of the Non-Aligned Movement.

This remains the template for South-South cooperation and solidarity.

Less than a decade ago, the world united in a historic decision on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

We recognised that eradicating poverty was the greatest global challenge of our time.

We committed ourselves to a common agenda for humanity that would see us collectively address climate change, conflict, poverty and insecurity.

The COVID-19 pandemic further revealed our inter-connectedness and exposed our shared vulnerability.

The Ukraine conflict has exposed the fault lines in the international order.

Urgent global issues like COVID-19, poverty, inequality, climate change and the broader sustainable development agenda have been eclipsed by the conflict.

We must safeguard the principle of multilateralism.

We need a United Nations that is fit-for-purpose and clear in its benefits to all humanity, especially in times of insecurity and crises.

We must promote international peace and security by advocating inclusive dialogue and the peaceful settlement of disputes.

We need to urgently reform the United Nations Security Council so that it can credibly and effectively perform its mandate. It is unjust that Africa with a population of 1.3 bn people does not have permanent representation on the UN Security Council.

As like-minded emerging market countries, we need to move from a common vision of an emerging international order to a common programme of change.

We must be committed to shaping our own institutions to support the growth and development of emerging economies.

Our vision has been to harness our common vision and resources to improve the lives of our people through mutually-beneficial cooperation and to actively shape the world to benefit the Global South.

We must approach our cooperation in a spirit of openness and solidarity with the genuine intention to find mutual interests and build common values.

We have the potential to leverage our combined economic strength to drive a sustainable global economic recovery.

It is up to us, as emerging and developing economies, to put the global South on a new trajectory of progress, prosperity and self-reliance and to shape an inclusive and equitable international order.

This is an opportunity to move from solidarity to collective action for the benefit of all our people.

I thank you.

ISSUED BY THE PRESIDENCY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

Your Excellency President Xi,
Your Excellency President Bolsonaro,
Your Excellency President Putin,
Your Excellency Prime Minister Modi,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

We thank China for convening this virtual XIV BRICS Summit.

We meet at a time of great uncertainty.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on human life, livelihoods, economies and communities around the world.

We are here as the members of BRICS to affirm our shared desire for a world in which all people have a meaningful stake, in which all have equal opportunity, and from which all can benefit.

The BRICS response to the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated what can be achieved when we work together in the spirit of friendship, solidarity and responsibility.

The launch of the BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Centre in March this year will strengthen international health and science cooperation to prepare for future crises.

It is a cause for great concern that the rest of global community has not sustained the principles of solidarity and cooperation when it comes to equitable access to vaccines.

We call on developed economies, international agencies and philanthropists that procure vaccines to purchase from manufacturers in developing economies, including in Africa.

We need to realise the great potential of our economic partnership to strengthen intra-BRICS trade, investment and tourism.

Our combined economic strength should be a catalyst for sustainable global economic recovery.

In line with our foreign policy principles, South Africa continues to call for dialogue and negotiation towards a peaceful resolution of conflicts around the world.

We are concerned that the focus and resources of the international community have been diverted from other concerning conflicts and humanitarian crises.

Urgent global issues like climate change and sustainable development are not being effectively attended to.

Decision-making across the entire United Nations system needs to be democratised so that multilateral institutions can effectively address global challenges.

We look forward to the High-level Dialogue on Global Development tomorrow.

BRICS provides a valuable platform to address the key challenges of the global South in partnership with like-minded emerging markets.

This High-level Dialogue is an important opportunity to form a common vision of a more inclusive, just and stable international order.

BRICS must play its important role in giving leadership to the world.

I thank you.

ISSUED BY THE PRESIDENCY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

Your Excellency, President Xi Jinping,
Your Excellency, President Vladimir Putin,
Your Excellency, President Jair Bolsonaro,
Your Excellency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
Honoured Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my privilege to wish the BRICS Business Forum well in the critical task of expanding and diversifying trade and investments between our countries.

Our task is to forge new pathways for cooperation that bring higher levels of development for our respective peoples.

We extend our appreciation to the BRICS Business Council for its ongoing work of deepening collaboration among the BRICS business communities.

Though the global economic recovery is underway, the situation remains fragile and the recovery itself is uneven.

Developing economies continue to face challenges of poverty and inequality, which the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated.

Lack of access to lifesaving vaccines and treatments is still holding back the recovery of millions across the world.

We cannot have a swift and inclusive global economic recovery unless the issue of vaccine inequality is urgently addressed.

We call on BRICS to support the drive of the African Union to ensure that vaccines destined for African countries are procured from African manufacturers.

This Forum is taking place at a difficult time.

As BRICS nations, we have to do all within our means to mitigate the impact of poverty, food and energy insecurity on our people.

We have to advance sustainable and inclusive development that safeguards us against future shocks.

At the Moscow Summit in 2020, we adopted the revised Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership. Last year, we adopted its Implementation Plan.

Through this strategy we want to expand market access for goods, products and services across the bloc.

We want to promote mutual trade and investment, implement structural reforms and other measures to improve the business environment.

In particular, we want to enhance trade and investment cooperation that supports value-addition among the BRICS countries.

For our part, South Africa has recently implemented far-reaching structural reforms in areas such as energy, telecommunications, transportation, water and infrastructure.

Despite the pandemic, trade and investment cooperation within the BRICS has been steadily improving.

This needs to be deepened even further if we are to withstand vulnerabilities in regional and global supply chains.

We therefore endorse the BRICS Initiative on Enhancing Cooperation on Supply Chains.

This Initiative affirms that openness, efficiency, stability, transparency, reliability and resilience of national, regional and global supply chains are necessary preconditions for international trade and investment.

We are committed to strengthening dialogue, exchange and cooperation in areas such as industrial development, investment, trade in services, and micro, small and medium enterprises development.

We recognise the dynamism of the digital economy as an enabler of the global economic recovery.

There is an urgent need to overcome the digital divides that exist within and between countries.

We appreciate the contribution of the BRICS Women Business Alliance in promoting women’s financial inclusion and the participation of women and women-owned and women led businesses in the mainstream economies of BRICS countries.

As BRICS countries, we will continue our constructive engagement with the World Trade Organisation to foster inclusivity, industrialisation and development.

We must oppose attempts to shape global economic policies through unilateral sanctions and other coercive measures.

At the same time, we need to preserve the pre-eminent role of the WTO in setting global trade rules and governance, in supporting inclusive development and in promoting the rights and interests of its members.

This year’s BRICS Business Forum is an opportunity to move beyond solidarity to real action.

As BRICS leaders and as the BRICS business community, let us deepen our collaboration and partnership in pursuit of global development that benefits all and that leaves no-one behind.

I thank you.

ISSUED BY THE PRESIDENCY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA