Brics consolidates its agenda on foreign affairs
PLANS to strengthen economic co-operation between the Brics countries have been discussed in China at a meeting of the Brics ministers of foreign affairs.
South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has met with her Brics counterparts; China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Brazil’s Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes, India’s Minister for External Affairs Dr VK Singh and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The meeting comes at a time of heightened global political and economic concerns, and the objective of the Brics nations is to deliberate on how to strengthen the grouping in order to respond effectively to these concerns.
Some of the key priorities of the discussions were to deepen trade and investment, and support people-to-people co-operation in the spheres of education, culture and sport.
“Brics is increasingly being called upon to demonstrate leadership on global issues, notably as we set new regimes for guiding our future global engagements,” Nkoana-Mashabane said.
“Our foreign policy envisions exactly the same aspirations for our domestic, regional and global agendas. South Africa believes a people-centred development agenda based on the recently adopted sustainable development goals should be the basis for addressing the myriad challenges that confront nations across the globe, including those of peace and security.”
Nkoana-Mashabane used the occasion to push the issue of UN reform, arguing that the UN remained the primary multilateral institution and centre of global governance, which needed to be strengthened and made more representative.
“In its current state, the UN has failed to curb unilateral actions by powerful nations who undermine its founding principles, often with disastrous consequences,” Nkoana-Mashabane said.
South Africa drove home the point at the Brics meeting that the unilateral actions of certain powers risked reversing the gains previously made by the collective, including implementing the Paris climate change agreement.
Given the droughts experienced in southern Africa last year, it was important for South Africa to highlight the need for concrete solutions to the adverse effects of climate change.
The foreign ministers’ meeting was considered so useful that South Africa has advocated that it becomes a permanent feature on the Brics calendar of meetings.
It is endeavouring to convene such a meeting when South Africa hosts the Brics conference next year.