After all, what is the BRICS?

Brasil is responsible for the BRICS Summit in 2025. The group of countries is considered a relevant forum for political and diplomatic coordination which currently goes beyond Brasil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. It is a space for cooperation and concertation among the Global South countries to discuss issues on the international agenda.

At first sight, it may be difficult to think of the commonalities between Brasil and China, an ancient civilization, or Russia, a country with a climate and history that are so different from that of a tropical nation located in Latin America. However, there are similarities among the realities and issues in the international politics of China, Russia, India, and South Africa. In addition to being territorial giants, presenting a high populational number and rapid industrialization, the political influence of these four countries in the world has been growing since the early 21st Century.

In 2001, British economist Jim O’Neill created the acronym “BRIC” to describe the so-called emerging economies of Brasil, Russia, India, and China and recommend them to investors in an article for the subscribers of Goldman Sachs Assets Management, a specialized asset management service. Jim O’Neill recommended investing in the four countries, describing them as the future of the global economy. 

The term became popular and the four countries conformed to an actual group, with its first meeting at the Ministries of Foreign Affairs level held in 2006, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, United States. Since the beginning of the 2008 financial crisis, the four countries sought to act in a concerted manner in the context of the G20, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank, presenting proposals to reform the international economic and financial governance to reflect the increased relative weight of emerging countries in the global economy. Within this spirit of renovation, the first Heads of State Summit was held in 2009 in the city of Ekaterinburg, Russia. 

With the incorporation of South Africa in 2011, an “S” was added to the original acronym, thus consolidating the group’s first expansion. In 2023, at the Johannesburg Summit, the second expansion of the group was defined with the adhesion of five new members, effective in 2024:  Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, and Iran. On Monday, January 6, 2025, Brasil announced the entry of Indonesia as a full member of the group.

Balance in international governance

The BRICS is, thus, a forum for political and diplomatic articulation, cooperation, and concertation among Global South countries with the goal of engaging in dialog about the major issues in the international agenda and politically strengthening their common stances to democratize, legitimize, and balance international order. 

The term Global South refers to developing and emerging countries, the majority of which are located in the Southern Hemisphere of the planet. The ascension of large developing economies has been influencing the international system’s power balance and stimulating discussions about the dynamics of traditional institutions and collaboration mechanisms.

The forum's activities traditionally revolve around three pillars: politics and security; economy and finance; and civil society. The BRICS is not a formally established group, lacking a treaty, its own budget, or a permanent secretariat.

2025 Summit

On January 1st, Brasil took over the BRICS Presidency until December 31st. The Heads of State Summit is scheduled for July in the city of Rio de Janeiro. According to the General Coordinator of the Brazilian Presidency of the BRICS, Minister Paula Barboza, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Brazil’s two axes for action throughout 2025 will be the global governance reform and the cooperation among countries of the Global South.

“Brazil’s engagement with the BRICS is central due to its geostrategic relevance and the very composition of the group, which has an expressive weight in terms of the global economy, trade, energy production, and population. The central elements of the Brazilian Presidency will be the cooperation among the Global South and governance reform,” stated the minister.

Minister Paula Barboza also stressed that the BRICS is one of the many forums in which Brasil takes part, representing an important venue to reinforce its global, autonomous, and independent participation in the international scenario.

The BRICS has a rotating presidency that follows the letters of its acronym, with annual renovation. The temporary presidency defines the priorities of the agenda and is in charge of organizing the group’s annual summit. 

Member countries and partner countries

There are two participation categories at the BRICS: member countries and partner countries. The eleven members – South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Brasil, China, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia, India, Iran, and Russia – take part in all meetings, where the decision-making process is through consensus. 

To be admitted as a member, countries must meet the following criteria: maintain geographic balance; uphold good diplomatic relations with all full members of the group; refrain from adopting sanctions without authorization from the United Nations Security Council; be a member of the United Nations; support multilateralism; and commit to global governance reform.

To achieve this, a country goes through the following stages: 1) declaration as a country interested in becoming a BRICS member; 2) potential BRICS member state; and 3) BRICS member state. The final decision on admission is made by consensus among BRICS leaders.

The partner country modality was created in 2024 at the Kazan Summit, in Russia. Partner countries are invited to participate at the BRICS Chancellors and Leaders Summit; however, they can also be present in other meetings if there is consensus among the members. 

Current partner countries are: Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan. 

Throughout 2024,  over 30 countries expressed interest in participating in the BRICS, both as members and as partners. 

BRICS “Outreach” X BRICS “Plus”

Other forms of participation in BRICS meetings include the "BRICS Outreach", introduced by South Africa in 2013, and the "BRICS Plus", launched by China in 2017.

In the 'Outreach' format, nations from the geographic region of the country currently holding the rotating presidency of the forum may be invited to participate in some of the group’s activities.

In the "BRICS Plus", the nation currently holding the presidency may invite any country in the world, regardless of the region.