The 17th BRICS Summit in 2025, held yesterday and today in Brazil, emphasised multilateralism as a counter to the threat-based policies of the U.S. government under President Donald Trump.
The summit also served as a platform for the group of 11 countries that make up this global trade alliance to call for reforms in international organizations to better support multilateral cooperation.
As the host nation, Brazil championed the the Global South’s agenda, addressing key issues such as the fight against climate change. Brazilian President, Lula da Silva, also proposed that BRICS evolve into a non-aligned bloc.
Following Indonesia’s formal integration, the BRICS group now includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Ethiopia, and Saudi Arabia – although the latter has not yet formalized its entry into full effect.
The group also counts nine countries as strategic partners from the Global South, including Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay.
The 2025 BRICS Summit bets on multilateralism
Since its creation, BRICS has positioned itself as an alternative to international institutions, especially economic ones dominated by Western powers.
Indeed, the Leaders’ Declaration acknowledges this as an objective: “We believe that BRICS countries continue to play a crucial role in expressing the concerns of the Global South and promoting a more just, sustainable, inclusive, representative, and stable international order.”
Along these lines, summit host Lula da Silva mentioned the formation of the UN 80 years ago and how the world now faces the greatest threat to multilateralism.
He also noted that BRICS are heirs to the 1955 Bandung Conference, where 29 African and Asian countries declared themselves non-aligned with either the American or Soviet bloc. Therefore, he reiterated that “with multilateralism under attack, our autonomy is once again at stake.”
To improve this representation, both the Brazilian president and the Leaders’ Declaration emphasized the need “for the reform of the UN Security Council to allow for a broader voice from the Global South.”
During his virtual address, Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted that the unipolar order “is being replaced by a fairer multipolar world. Everything indicates that the liberal globalization model is becoming obsolete, and the center of business activity is shifting toward developing markets.”
Adapting global structures to a multilateral world
One of the highlights of the meeting was criticism of the current international financial system, which still operates under structures established after World War II and no longer reflects the real weight of emerging economies on the global stage.
The Leaders’ Declaration reiterates the need to reform the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to make it more representative. However, it warns that “an expansion of IMF quotas must not come at the expense of developing countries, since this would affect their relative position within the world economy.”
New initiatives were also presented, including the creation of the BRICS Multilateral Guarantee Mechanism (BMG) to incentivize private investment in Global South nations; the promotion of local currency use in trade among member countries; the development of cross-border payment platforms within the bloc; and the strengthening of the New Development Bank (NDB) as a source of financing without neoliberal demands.
Latin America in BRICS: Between enthusiasm and the US threat
Latin America’s role in BRICS currently balances between enthusiasm and caution due to U.S. tariff threats. Although countries like Colombia and Uruguay have recently joined the BRICS bank, other nations like Mexico or Chile, both also with progressive governments, participated in this summit as invited observers with a more cautious stance.
Besides Brazil, no other Latin American country is currently a full member, beyond partial alliances or involvement with the NDB.
In this context, the Brazilian government sees this as a new opportunity for Latin American integration, beyond traditional US-backed organizations like the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Inter American Development Bank (IDB).
“We reaffirm our support for increased participation and representation of Latin American and Caribbean countries in global decision-making processes and structures,” states the Leaders’ Declaration issued today after the 2025 BRICS Summit.
Nonetheless, this latest Latin American integration project faces the traditional obstacles rooted in the ideological diversity of the countries.
Tepid condemnation of attacks against Gaza and Iran
Regarding Israel’s attacks on Gaza and Iran – the latter also attacked by the U.S. – the BRICS Summit Leaders’ Declaration issued a tepid condemnation.
“We condemn the military attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran since June 13, 2025, which constitute a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter,” the document states.
On Gaza, the declaration states: “We reiterate our grave concern regarding the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and demand an immediate, permanent, and unconditional ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and respect for the decisions of the International Court of Justice.”
However, the declaration does not mention who carried out the attacks against Iran and stops short of qualifying the Israeli offensive on Gaza as genocide.
Regarding Ukraine, unanimity was not reached, so the text mentions only a diplomatic compromise formula limited to referencing the “national positions expressed in appropriate forums.”
Xi Jinping misses BRICS summit
Xi Jinping was absent from the 2025 BRICS Summit, marking his first absence since becoming president in 2013.
Some international analysts assess the Chinese president’s absence as a missed opportunity to showcase China as an alternative and stable leader vis-à-vis the United States.
However, Xi’s decision not to attend–sending instead his number two, Premier Li Qiang–does not mean that Beijing has downgraded the importance of BRICS, nor that the group has ceased to be relevant in its strategy to counter Western power.
“BRICS is part of Beijing’s effort to make sure it is not encircled by U.S. allies,” Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore, told CNN.