On Friday (May 30), Brazilian civil society delivered a document containing recommendations to the Brazilian presidency of the BRICS group. The handover took place during a ceremony at the Chamber of Deputies and marked the closing of the seminar “BRICS on the Rise,” held in Brasília on May 29–30. The event aimed to expand dialogue between the government and civil society regarding the direction of the bloc, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—and, as of this year, also Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The seminar’s closing plenary, titled High-Level Diplomatic Dialogue, was chaired by Minister Paula Barboza, General Coordinator of the Brazilian BRICS Presidency at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The panel also included Douglas Ferreira, Director of Research at IBRICS+ Brazil, and Ana Garcia, Fellow at Plataforma CIPÓ, Professor at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), and researcher at the BRICS Policy Center. Garcia was responsible for the symbolic handover of the recommendations on behalf of the civil society organizations involved.
The document brings together proposals in key areas such as climate justice, reform of global governance, tackling inequalities, and financing for sustainable development. The initiative seeks to ensure that the Brazilian BRICS presidency reflects the demands and priorities of diverse sectors of society.
The seminar was organized by Progressive International. CIPÓ was one of the co-organizers, along with the BRICS Policy Center, Institute for Socioeconomic Studies (INESC), IBRICS+, Brazilian Network for the Integration of Peoples (Rebrip), Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Global Fund for a New Economy, Brazilian Basic Income Network, and the University of Brasília (UnB).
The BRICS Heads of State Summit is scheduled for July 6–7 in Rio de Janeiro. Until then, the Brazilian government is expected to continue gathering input from civil society groups, academics, and experts to inform its role within the bloc.
