BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) — a bloc of developing economies — in a joint statement on Thursday (August 24) expressed support for India's G20 presidency. India is due to host the 18th G20 Summit on September 9-10 in New Delhi.
"We look forward to the successful hosting of the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi under the Indian G20 Presidency. We note the opportunities to build sustained momentum for change by India, Brazil and South Africa presiding over the G20 from 2023 to 2025."
Group members also supported India’s longstanding call for United Nations Security Council (UNSC) reforms and pitched for inclusion of developing countries like Brazil and South Africa.
“We support a comprehensive reform of the UN, including its Security Council, with a view to making it more democratic, representative, effective and efficient, and to increase the representation of developing countries in the Council’s memberships so that it can adequately respond to prevailing global challenges and support the legitimate aspirations of emerging and developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America, including Brazil, India and South Africa, to play a greater role in international affairs, in particular in the United Nations, including its Security Council,” the joint statement read.
The BRICS member countries issued a strong condemnation for terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and disassociated it from any religion, nationality, civilisation or ethnic group.
Earlier in the day, the bloc agreed to induct Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Argentina, Egypt, and Ethiopia as full members of BRICS from January 1, 2024. As per host country South Africa, more than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining the bloc with 22 formally asking to be admitted.
BRICS is a group of emerging economies comprising 40 percent of the world population and 31 percent of the GDP, and more than 26 percent share in world land surface. The group has the world most populous and second-most populous countries as its members.
