SA looks forward to welcoming leaders of BRICS

SOUTH Africa first hosted a BRICS forum in 2013 in Durban, two years after it joined this eminent platform of emerging markets and developing countries.

Since its inception, the performance of BRICS has gone from strength to strength and surpassed the initial expectations of members and observers alike.

The marking of a decade of co-operation at the level of heads of state and government (which is to say, summits) is thus an important aspect of the South African chairship this year, and the country intends to use the 10th BRICS Summit to chart the path for the next chapter of meaningful and impactful BRICS co-operation.

As a member, and in pursuit of national and regional objectives, South Africa intends to maximise its time as the BRICS chair to derive tangible co-operation results for its partners, the continent and developing community.

In particular, this co-operation should allow South Africa to better navigate the transition into the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and to benefit from shared prosperity in this new reality, rather than to be overwhelmed by its effects.

Its objectives during the first tenure of presidency were modest but emphatic in their intention to contribute to the institutional agenda of the BRICS Forum.

The platforms that South Africa proposed in 2013, including the BRICS Think Tanks Council (BTTC) and the BRICS Business Council (BBC) have gained traction and have been fully embraced and strengthened by the efforts of all members over the years. These have become positive platforms of knowledge generation and knowledge sharing, as well as for the formulation of responsive answers to the questions posed to us by the unfolding modern realities.

Furthermore, the New Development Bank (NDB) truly took form in 2013 during discussions under South Africa’s chairmanship. Along with the Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA), these are considered the flagship institutions of BRICS co-operation.

Our theme in 2013 namely, “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Development, Integration and Industrialisation”, articulated a goal that we still hold as imperative today; that being to use our participation in BRICS to enjoin BRICS and Africa in development co-operation and to advocate for the support of BRICS members for Africa and its endogenous regional policy objectives.

South Africa began weaving the African agenda into BRICS Declarations as soon as it joined the forum at the 2011 Sanya Summit. However, it was important to ensure that the sentimental support was buttressed by a practical and tangible articulation of this support.

Thus, subsequent to our arranging an Outreach Dialogue between African and BRICS leaders in 2013, the BRICS leaders mandated that the first regional centre of the NDB would be on the continent and established concurrently to the NDB headquarters. South Africa is delighted to have delivered on the mandate given to us by our African partners. The Africa Regional Centre was launched in August last year and, although at a nascent stage, it has commenced its work and has credible plans in place to facilitate infrastructure and industrial development projects on the continent.

South Africa was the first to initiate these outreach dialogues and its BRICS partners have all given momentum to this initiative through the outreach summits they have respectively hosted since 2013. We will bring this initiative full circle this year, when President Cyril Ramaphosa again hosts the BRICS-AFRICA Outreach, during the 10th Brics summit. Additional to this, we have invited representative leaders from the Global South for an interaction in the BRICS Plus format.

As much as the agenda of BRICS is driven by consensus, South Africa on its part is pleased to have made notable and valuable contributions over the years. South Africa’s current presidency, as with those of its partners in the past, has been anchored in two approaches, namely ensuring continuity for the projects and programmes that are in place, and carrying those successfully forward, while keeping innovation in mind and making space for new areas and ways of co-operation.

This means that, while in the chair, we will preside over an annual calendar of events that comprises more than a 100 sectoral meetings. In this regard, the meetings of the BRICS Sherpas and Sous-sherpas are particularly valuable, as they provide the first point of consultation among our countries and are instrumental in building consensus around ideas that subsequently become BRICS projects and programmes.

Thus far, we have hosted three meetings of the BRICS Sherpas and Sous-sherpas in the Western Cape, Limpopo and Gauteng, respectively. These meetings not only gave our partners three unique and multidimensional offerings of our country but, more importantly, we caucused our key chairship deliverables and proposals, which received resounding support. These include the establishment of a BRICS Vaccine Research Centre; the establishment of a BRICS Peacekeeping Working Group; the establishment of a BRICS Women’s Forum; BRICS Tourism Co-operation and Leveraging the Strategy for BRICS Economic Partnership towards the pursuit of Inclusive Growth and Advancing the Fourth Industrial Revolution. All of these represent an effort to provide responses to challenges and realities in the political, economic and social spheres.

In addition to the Sherpas’ meetings, we have hosted various high-level engagements and ministerial meetings. These included an Anti-corruption Working Group Meeting (February this year), the 17th Meeting of the Contact Group on Economic and Trade Issues (also February); the 9th Technical National Statistics Offices (March this year) Counter-terrorism Working Group (April this year), Security in the use of ICTS (last month), meeting of BRICS Environment Ministers (last month) and the Meeting of the Energy Working Group (last month).

Furthermore, the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/international Relations met on June 4. The ministers’ discussions reinforced the core values that brought BRICS countries together – including the safe-guarding of its charter and upholding multilateral co-operation. In the face of the current global realities, including the turn by some international players towards unilateralism and protectionism, these values have become even more important and BRICS must lead the way in their protection and further entrenchment.

A global world order that is based on equity and fairness depends on this.

The ministers’ meeting was equally demonstrative of the manner in which the BRICS countries are, and must continue to be responsive to global developments and realities as they unfold.

The BRICS Envoys (deputy ministers) on the Middle East and North Africa will be meeting on June 20-21 and will similarly be grappling with burgeoning international crises in this complex region, and forging BRICS consensus in responding to these.

These meetings, and those to come, are laying the path to the 10th BRICS Summit and constitute the sectoral backbone of the upcoming meetings of the BRICS leaders. Further meetings will be held throughout the year, until the conclusion of the South African chairship in December.

In addition to being seized with their sectoral work, South African national departments and stakeholders are in the process of consolidating the Joburg Summit Declaration, which will be a comprehensive and reflective outcomes document.

It will speak to the key issues we are driving this year, particularly the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and of the areas of shared importance for BRICS countries.

South Africa is honoured and takes seriously its responsibilities as chair.

We look forward to welcoming the leaders and delegates of BRICS, Africa and other emerging markets and developing countries to South Africa next month, and keeping the legacy and spirit of Nelson Mandela alive in our efforts.

We will keep the legacy of Madiba alive in our endeavours

■ Sooklal is Dirco deputy director-general for Asia and Middle East, and South African BRICS Sherpa