BRICS and Africa – Johannesburg II Declaration

The XV BRICS Summit was held in Sandton, South Africa from August 22 to 24, 2023, under the theme “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development, and Inclusive Multilateralism”. The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa reaffirmed their commitment to the BRICS spirit of mutual respect and understanding, sovereign equality, solidarity, democracy, openness, inclusiveness, strengthened collaboration, and consensus. They committed themselves to strengthening the framework of mutually beneficial BRICS cooperation under the three pillars of political and security, economic and financial, and cultural and people-to-people cooperation.

The leaders expressed their concern about the use of unilateral coercive measures and called for greater representation of emerging markets and developing countries in international organizations and multilateral fora. They also supported a comprehensive reform of the United Nations, including its Security Council, to make it more democratic, representative, effective, and efficient.

Regarding political and security cooperation, the leaders reiterated their commitment to inclusive multilateralism and upholding international law. They expressed their support for the peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue and negotiation and called for the establishment of a peaceful, secure, stable, and prosperous world order.

Under the economic and financial pillar, the leaders recognized the importance of trade and investment in promoting economic growth and job creation. They also acknowledged the need to address the challenges posed by the digital economy and to ensure that it benefits all countries and people. The leaders emphasized the need to promote sustainable development and inclusive growth and to enhance cooperation in areas such as agriculture, energy, and infrastructure.

Regarding cultural and people-to-people cooperation, the leaders recognized the critical role of women in economic development and commended the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance. They also acknowledged the value of the BRICS Academic Forum as a platform for deliberation and discussion by leading BRICS academics on issues confronting them today. The leaders agreed to support the protection, preservation, restoration, and promotion of cultural heritage.

The leaders also discussed measures to integrate micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises into global value chains. They recognized that infrastructure investments support human, social, environmental, and economic development. They noted that leveraging governments’ limited resources to catalyze private capital, expertise, and efficiency will be paramount in closing the infrastructure investment gap in BRICS countries.

The XV BRICS Summit focused on strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation under the three pillars of political and security, economic and financial, and cultural and people-to-people cooperation. The leaders expressed their commitment to inclusive multilateralism, upholding international law, promoting sustainable development and inclusive growth, and enhancing cooperation in various areas.